USM Childrens Center Alumnus Receives Prestigious Scholarship to Attend the University

For Ethan Taylor, life is about to come full circle. Taylor recently received a $26,000 Annual Academic Excellence Scholarship from The University of Southern Mississippi, where he will be studying sports broadcasting in the fall.

But this won't be his first time to attend USM. In fact, Taylor is already an alumnus.

Taylor's relationship with USM began long ago when, as a young child, his parents enrolled him at The Children's Center for Communication and Development. This non-profit organization, located on USM's Hattiesburg Campus, specializes in providing top-notch cost-free services for infants and children with disabilities and their families.

For the Taylor family, finding The Children's Center was a game-changer, and their son's time there helped prepare him for the kind of successes he has achieved since graduating from the program.

“There is no question that The Children's Center helped set the foundation for Ethan and our family at a pivotal time in his life,” said Pam Hudson, Taylor's mom. “We are so grateful for our time at The Center, and are excited that Ethan will be back on USM's campus as a University student come Fall.”

Taylor's start at life was nothing short of miraculous. Born prematurely due to two collapsed lungs, and with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, he's been defying the odds throughout the course of his life. When he hasn't been studying diligently, he has spent the past four years immersing himself in the thing he loves most – baseball.

As the beloved manager for the George County High School baseball team, there can be little doubt that he has played an important role in the Rebels advancing to the state championship tournament three of the past four years. Soon he will be retiring from that role, graduating with a 3.9 GPA and the highest of honors, while embarking on a whole new journey at USM.

“We couldn't be prouder of Ethan,” said Sarah Case-Price, director at The Children's Center for Communication and Development. “Though, we can't say we're surprised. We always knew Ethan was destined to do great things – he's just proving us right. We are fortunate to have him as part of our Children's Center family and look forward to seeing him on campus next year.”

And Taylor's hoping they'll be able to see him across the street at Pete Taylor Park, as he aspires to continue his already decorated career in sports management.

About The Children's Center for Communication and Development

The Children's Center for Communication and Development at The University of Southern Mississippi is a non-profit that provides cost-free communicative and developmental transdisciplinary services to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers while educating, training and supporting families, university students and professionals. For more information, visit www.usm.edu/childrenscenter.