Taylor Hemphill
  • Social Work
  • Class of 2017
  • Norwalk, CT

Eastern Student Taylor Hemphill of Norwalk Wins MLK Award

2017 Mar 27

Eastern Connecticut State University student Taylor Hemphill '17 of Norwalk received a 2017 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award at Eastern this past February.

Hemphill majors in social work and is an ambassador with Eastern's Women's Center. She also volunteered in the Petey Greene's Prisoner Assistance Program, where she concentrated her efforts on facilitating change in the lives of incarcerated women, strengthening the communication skills of inmates to enhance their chances of employment upon release.

"One of my favorite quotes by Dr. King is 'Life's persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?'" said Starsheemar Byrum, director of Eastern's Unity Wing, which houses the Women's Center. "Taylor's thoughtful efforts come with the purest intention to inspire those within her reach. Taylor's reach spans far; she is always on the move, calm and mighty, ready to motivate a people. She heeds to the call for leaders and role models to take a stand in a world full of people with real needs. Her precision is witnessed in all that she does. Taylor's co-workers admire her work ethic and care. Taylor is confident in her ability to lead people, impact communities and ignite change. She's done this here at Eastern and beyond. Her life commitment to social justice is evident through her consistent determination and focused passion to inspire people, impact communities and ignite change."