Stanley Taylor

NLCP Class of 2016
BA in Communications, University of Illinois-Urbana 2020

Beginning the Journey at NLCP
"It mainly started with developing a relationship with a college advisor, Miss Taylor. And my counselors were Mr. Horan and Mr. Kelly. They always wanted to pitch ideas to me: hey, you should do this, you should do that. The culture, the people, the environment, the teachers– they all wanted me to succeed. They all wanted me to be a better student. And by the time that I got to college, I was ready. I had a support system. I had built a foundation. At North Lawndale they gave me the confidence to go into this world and the University of Illinois. I had seen the results the RBL students and seeing how successful they are– and how they were handling life outside of high school was something that I admired and wanted to be a part of. I had struggling points and adjustment points just like everyone else will. But I came out of it. I came out strong."

On Being an RBL Scholar at College
"When you leave North Lawndale, RBL is a brother and sisterhood. We all make sure that we keep each other accountable. And we always want the best for each other. We know the type of environment that we come from. And we want to make sure that we inspire other students to make their college experience the best experiences of their lives."

About Repairing the World
"The greatest thing you can do is inspire other people. What's the impression that you want to leave? I want to leave a very impactful one. It's such a remarkable thing for Mr. Lewis to create and name a college scholarship after his wife, because it is something that is given light to a lot of kids... a light and a path to go down, and see a better life for themselves and for their families. Some kids, they need to know that they can have some impact on this world– because it only takes one person."