From freshman class president to Assistant Resident Director (ARD) of the townhouses, Tess Taggart ’18 has remained a consistent embodiment of student leadership on campus. As she has re ned her leadership, academic, and relational skills, her goal has always been “to use them to my best ability to help others.”
Taggart has also served as an RA, the townhouse representative for CAB, and a committee member of the Sophomore Leadership Conference. Her favorite position that she’s held is ARD of the townhouses. “My favorite part of the position is planning events with a staff that’s just so excited about crazy little things that we can do in the townhouses just to make it feel more like home,” she said.
As a biochemistry major and data science minor, Taggart entered college in her freshman year with a different career in mind than the one she plans to pursue now. “When I came to Houghton, I thought I wanted to be a pediatrician or some sort of doctor,” Taggart said. “But then I did Science Honors and really just enjoyed research so much, and really enjoyed working with professors one-on-one.”
In her sophomore year, she partnered with Dr. Williams in a research project involving different sh species. In the spring of her junior year, Taggart conducted muscle biology research with Dr. Poythress, and is currently continuing that project. “Our experiment last spring was focused on electrical stimulus,” she said. “This semester we’re looking at that more in-depth, and also what proteins are expressed in the cells.”
Taggart’s current career goals are geared toward medical research. “I’m not totally sure where that will bring me,” she said, “but I’m really interested in drug discovery.” Last summer, Taggart worked for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company located in Albany, New York. “I really enjoyed seeing their labs and seeing all the hard work that goes into discovering drugs and manufacturing them and then making sure they’re safe for consumption. I would love to be a part of all that,” Taggart exclaimed.
In regards to advice concerning underclassmen, Taggart was quick to share some encouragement. “I would say don’t be afraid to try new things. There are times you just want to sit in your room, but if you just get out and try something new, you’re bound to meet interesting people and find passions you didn’t know you had,” Taggart said. “And don’t be afraid of how those passions alter your life goals for yourself because the goals we have for ourselves aren’t anything compared to God’s goals for us,” she added.
On February 7-9, the END IT Movement, organized by Taggart, will host an event to raise awareness of human trafficking. Last year, Taggart headed up the event by selling handmade items made by human trafficking survivors through Women at Risk (WAR) International, an organization that “unites and educates men and women to create circles of protection and hope around those at risk.”
“Last year we made $1200, which is enough to house 3-4 women in a safe house for a month,” Taggart said. “That was really rewarding, and I saw a really positive response from it and I decided to make it bigger this year.”
On Wednesday, February 7, between 8-9 p.m., the organization host a prayer night, followed by a coffeehouse on February 8 and a WAR International sale on February 9. “Hopefully between those three events, we’re not only raising money, but raising awareness and praying for all the survivors and victims and everyone involved worldwide,” Taggart said, “so that people on our campus have a better understanding of what [human trafficking] is and how they can get involved.”