Every year Viterbo celebrates its graduating class with a commencement ceremony. Seniors will receive their diplomas and have opportunities to celebrate their hard work and investment in their futures. This year, Viterbo’s commencement ceremony will be held at 1:00 p.m. on May 11 at the La Crosse Center. Eric Taylor is one of the many seniors who will be graduating when the semester ends.
Taylor has spent all four of his undergraduate years at Viterbo studying engineering. Initially, his interest in attending the university was two-fold: “Viterbo gave me the opportunity to complete my degree and play baseball for all of my undergraduate without the need to transfer elsewhere. The engineering program was very new; I thought it would be a good opportunity to be a part of the growing program as it took shape.” Taylor would play on the baseball team for his first two years at Viterbo before stepping away.
Being a student-athlete helped Taylor form some connections. Though, making the most out of his time at Viterbo went beyond practicing and playing hard: “Viterbo continued to be everything that I had anticipated it to be when I moved here. I was able to develop friendships through both academics and athletics. I had made connections with my professors as I worked through the engineering program, and there wasn’t a time that I ever thought about leaving. I would say the people around me are what made me stay.”
It was through connecting with the people and environment around him that helped Taylor feel welcome; however, that was not always the case. When his first year started, Taylor had to move from his home state of Wyoming to La Crosse. “Four years ago, when I came to Viterbo, I felt lost coming so far from home. I knew nobody, I had no connections to Wisconsin, and all I knew was that I was coming to school to study engineering and to play baseball. It took me some time to get over that hump and to feel connected to the Viterbo community. I wasn’t really involved in anything on campus at the time, and I wasn’t attending church regularly because I didn’t want to go alone,” Talyor said.
Though his time at Viterbo would begin this way, it would not stay like that. Taylor said, “However, in the past couple years since then, I began becoming more involved in different things. I began attending basketball games, joining intramurals, and, most importantly, I found a deeper connection to God as I began attending church every Sunday regardless of whether or not I went by myself. All of these things, amongst others, allowed me to grow and develop those connections that made me want to stay here.” Besides getting more involved spiritually and in campus events, a few other things that impacted Talyor were meeting his girlfriend Kirsten, adopting his first dog, Newton, and securing a job from his internship at Chart Industries.
Taylor reflected on his time at Viterbo and has these parting words to say: “The people that I have met and surrounded myself with at Viterbo along with all the experiences I have had will definitely have a lasting impact on my future. Make the most of your college experience, get involved in the things you’re interested in, surround yourself with good people that make you a better person, work hard but don’t forget to have fun. School will always be there, but experiences won’t; don’t pass up opportunities because you’ll regret it later.”
