Taylor Scholars are committed to utilizing their entrepreneurial leadership and mindset to make a positive social impact and work towards social justice.
The program formally engages students in service and social change embedded in their academic and co-curricular experiences. The program recognizes, rewards, and distinguishes students who have committed themselves to service, social impact, and justice. The program is open to all first-year and sophomore Babson undergraduate students.
Natalie Taylor Scholars must:
Students who successfully meet the required criteria will receive distinction upon graduation. Taylor Scholars will be recognized at the senior awards ceremony and will wear a stole of recognition at graduation.
Many countries worldwide, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, continue to experience active war and conflict as well as the devastating consequences that result. My project seeks to solve this problem by creating entrepreneurial and peace education platforms for youth in Juba, South Sudan.
I appreciate the opportunity to visualize global problems through multiple lenses in the Taylor Scholar program. It feels very refreshing to be in a community of very supportive people who are equally working every day on very inspiring and novel causes of making the world a better place.”
The Taylor Scholar program cultivates a vibrant community of undergrads from around the globe. Some have started businesses, nonprofits, or student clubs to address inequities in their home communities, whether in Sudan, Mexico, Haiti, Nepal, or the Boston area. Some volunteer their time and talent mentoring youth in underserved communities or fellow first-gen students. Others partner with organizations to create special initiatives that scale impact around issues like food insecurity, financial literacy, and social justice. Several not only participate in our Youth Entrepreneurship Program, but go on to develop similar programs in communities like Bangladesh, Brazil, and Puerto Rico.
What they all share is the desire to use their entrepreneurial skills as a force for good.
Read stories about these social entrepreneurs and changemakers, and the real-world impact they have catalyzed while working on their Taylor Scholar projects.
In a rural Ghanaian community, Samantha Azu ’22 created a library made out of a refurbished shipping container, serving as a safe place for children to learn while their parents are working. Samantha was also a 2022 B.E.T.A. Challenge winner.
Cindy Escobar ’23 launched Semillas Society to help first-generation college students, including developing an annual first-gen conference and establishing a dedicated living tower for Babson first-gen undergrads.
Wes Woodson ’20 focused on empowering people to express themselves unapologetically through clothing and storytelling through his streetwear label, thehiden. For his project, he hosted an authentic conversation about mental health on college campuses.
Colby Thomson ’23, named to BostInno’s 25 Under 25 list, developed Entrebuddies, a special education curriculum focused on entrepreneurship.
From vision to fundraising to construction, Christine Coyne ’21, Lucas Machado ’21, and Maya Mutalik ’21 created a beautiful community garden honoring Sudeeksha Bhati ’22.
Aria Mustary ’21 created the Mai Soli Foundation to empower girls in Bangladesh and break the cycle of poverty created by child marriage. Aria was a 2021 B.E.T.A. Challenge winner.
After his service immersion experience in Tanzania, Ryan Laverty ’20 co-founded Arist, a text message learning platform recognized as a Fast Company World-Changing Ideas finalist in 2019. His team was also a 2019 ePitch finalist and received the 2020 B.E.T.A. Challenge "Pivot for Impact" award.
As his Taylor Scholar project, Sedonami Agosa ’20 began working on ClearPath, a portal for the homeless youth community (especially those aging out of foster care) in New York City to better access resources.
Maya Mutalik ’21 founded Hope Sews, a socially conscious fashion brand, to bring together the demand for cross-cultural fashion and her desire to empower and help women in developing communities to achieve financial independence.
The Taylor Scholar community allowed me to have discussions with like-minded, purpose-driven and impact-oriented individuals as I navigated ways to merge my interest in business with my passion for making a change in this world. The program provided a space for me to feel supported and encouraged to merge these interests and create lasting change with the communities and people that I worked with over my time as a scholar. I feel empowered to tackle my professional life while finding ways to give back and impact my community in a positive way.”
Being a part of the Natalie Taylor Scholar program has surrounded me with inspirational people that help me to see broader issues in our community.
During her 26-year tenure at Babson, Dr. Natalie Taylor inspired countless students, pioneered a progressive approach to teaching social entrepreneurship, and elevated its prominence within the Babson MBA program. In 2009, she was named Professor Emerita of the Entrepreneurship Center at Babson College. Her legacy lives on today through the Natalie Taylor Scholar Program, which recognizes and rewards students who are committed to service, community engagement, and social responsibility.