Elijah Taylor

Naturally Accountable

Doing the right thing is always the right choice. 

Elijah Taylor earned a perfect math score on his SAT. He is class treasurer, a peer math tutor, an accomplished fundraiser for multiple causes, and a student assistant who volunteers his time to help the school’s corporation treasurer with various tasks. Elijah has dreams of one day becoming a certified public accountant and owning his own business. He knows that being successful in his current and future endeavors takes complete accountability, something that has been naturally instilled in him growing up on his family’s farm. “I have many jobs that I must complete to the best of my ability each and every day. Whenever something comes in front of me, I want to be able to get it done promptly while also making sure that I do my best on it so that I don’t have to go back and do it again.”

Elijah’s work ethic shows up both on the field and off. Because his school doesn’t offer a soccer team, he joined a club in the neighboring county and has captained it every year he’s participated. He optimizes his playing and practice time to build skills that translate into his role as kicker for his school’s football squad—the first in the school’s history to win a county championship and not one, but two, conference titles back-to-back. He is just as efficient and driven in the classroom, taking as many dual credit courses as he can to get a head start on his college career and maintain his standing as valedictorian.

Perhaps Elijah’s greatest area of accountability is to his own sense of morals, standards, and values, all of which help him to remain humble and look out for others around him. Elijah believes that a hallmark of service and leadership is valuing others above yourself. He strives to live out this conviction in multiple ways including participating in a 30 Hour Famine to raise money and awareness of the circumstances for children in undeveloped countries. “While going through the famine, we learned about the families that we were helping, and it touched my heart getting to see the smiles on their face.” He is equally committed to actively volunteering in his own community and church, helping with Vacation Bible School, mission trips, and initiatives where he can be a role model to younger kids and foster a sense of accountability in others. “I know that there is always someone watching the decisions that I make, so I have to make sure that I am making the right decision so that they too will make the right choice.”