For senior Tayler Shaw, coming to the University of Colorado Boulder wasn’t an easy decision. As a Colorado native, all of Shaw’s friends were planning on attending Colorado State University. A self-described “people pleaser,” Shaw wasn’t sure if she should follow her friends to CSU or take her parents’ advice to attend CU and push herself to experience something unknown.

Shaw’s college decision was shaping up to be a coin toss, until she received an email from CU Boulder encouraging her to apply to the President’s Leadership Class (PLC) program. She thought to herself, “If I get into this program, I will take it as a sign that I should go to CU.”

Upon arriving, Shaw knew right away that she had made the right decision, saying, “I felt from the very beginning that this was the place for me.”

Since arriving on campus in 2017, Shaw has managed to make time for plenty of extracurricular involvement—one of the most valued aspects of her college experience. Shaw will graduate in May 2021 with a double major in journalism and Spanish, as well as minors in anthropology and leadership studies. Most notably, Shaw is one of the founders and is the magazine editor-in-chief of The Bold, a new student-run publication focused on multimedia storytelling, which launched online in August 2020. 

“It’s been an incredible experience,” says Shaw. “It’s taught me how to be a better journalist, a better storyteller and a better communicator.” 

Going forward, Shaw hopes that The Bold can publish print magazines, as well as experiment with new storytelling methods, such as augmented reality.

Starting her sophomore year, Shaw became involved in residence life. She started out as a Resident Advisor (RA) in Buckingham Hall and now works as a Senior Resident Advisor in Arnett Hall. As a freshman, Shaw still felt occasional homesickness and loneliness despite living just an hour away from home. As an RA, Shaw “wanted to help provide a sense of community and support to first year students, […] and be an RA that students could turn to if they ever needed to.”

Additionally, Shaw has been a CMCI ambassador since her freshman year and has served as a lead ambassador beginning her sophomore year. As an ambassador, Shaw promotes CMCI to prospective students while also networking with students, faculty, alumni and donors through outreach events. Shaw credits the CMCI ambassador program with connecting her with internship and scholarship opportunities as well as creating lasting friendships. 

Overall, Shaw is happy with the trajectory of her time here at CU Boulder. However, even as a senior, Shaw still sees programs, clubs and activities around campus that she wishes she could be involved in. 

“I’m in awe of how many different things you can do and how fast time does go by,” she says. “You’re always still left wanting a little bit more.”

When asked if she had any advice for incoming students, Shaw gave the type of answer you would expect from someone as involved as she is. 

“Try anything that you have interest in,” Shaw says. “Knowing what you don’t like is just as valuable as finding what you do like, it’s all part of the process. Try new things and have patience with yourself. It takes time to find what you are passionate about. Getting involved is a great first step to finding what you want to do.”

With her college career coming to an end, Shaw faces the same dilemma that she dealt with four years ago as a high school senior. Uncertain of what her future may hold, she hopes to continue to be an impactful storyteller that betters her community. 

Shaw reminisces on her time as an undergraduate student and is grateful for her career-shaping experiences in Boulder, saying, “It’s been a really fun experience and it will be sad to say goodbye.”