Taylor Hoogsteden

Taylor Hoogsteden (she/her) developed a passion for education at a young age. Growing up in a public school district whose academic rigor captured the attention of The New York Times, education policies, practices, and procedures were discussed at length. These discussions sparked Taylor's interest in a wide range of education issues, which she was able to explore through her undergraduate studies at the University of Richmond.

At the University of Richmond, Taylor majored in leadership studies and minored in education and society and law and the liberal arts. During her time at Richmond, Taylor served as a fellow under former Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni. As a fellow, Taylor focused on the area of food insecurity and basic needs for college students, completing independent research, cross-comparative analyses, and leading a subcommittee on the topic. As a senior, Taylor served as President of the Jepson Student Government Association and a member of the University of Richmond's Presidents' Council.

The combination of Taylor's academic, work, and leadership experiences led her to pursue a Master's in Higher Education at the University of Oxford, which she was able to complete with a full academic scholarship from the Jepson Scholars Foundation. Taylor's graduate dissertation explored the first-year undergraduate transition into elite universities for historically underrepresented students.

Since graduating from Oxford, Taylor has worked on both the executive and legislative sides of state government. Now, Taylor is excited to return to her alma mater in her new role as Assistant Director of Programming within the Center for Student Involvement. Taylor looks forward to applying her graduate research in her work engaging the campus community, mentoring student leaders, and supporting the next generation of Spiders.

Outside of the office, Taylor enjoys running, spending time with friends, and attempting to learn all of the words to her favorite Broadway musical cast recordings.