Jaleah Taylor

ORANGE SLICES

Contributed by Jaleah Taylor

Jaleah Taylor, 2024-25 Student Body President, UNC-Chapel Hill.

Jaleah Taylor on UNC Campus.

Jaleah Taylor, Student Body President of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reflects on her summer Internship for the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau.

Ever since I understood what politics truly means I’ve had a passion for public service. So many people have instilled in me the idea that public service is a duty, and giving back a reward. It’s my calling, I think, and I try to do the same and instill a sense of civic pride and public service in others. 

The summer of 2020 was a tumultuous time for our country. The murder of George Floyd was tragic. His death shined a light on the persistence of racism in our country and inspired social movements focusing on the lack of diversity and inequity in the workforce. As a college-aged Black woman, the Black Lives Matter movement resonated with me.

There was an awakening in me, and there was an awakening in many of my generation. We saw injustice everywhere. We protested and wrote letters to our legislators and made our voices heard.  

I took action. I tried to enact change in my local town council. I learned that by just being present, just showing up, I would have, even at my age, a positive impact in my community and beyond. When it came time to transition from high school to college, I had no doubt that Carolina would be a great place to continue to learn and serve.

One of the things I love most about the University of North Carolina is the opportunity it gives us to show up for each other and be present. When I first came here I was amazed by the power and influence the student body had to impact our community. As a first year I saw how ambitious the student body was when it came to social justice. After the resurgence of Black Lives Matter our student body took various actions: meeting with senior administrators, elected officials, and by protesting and voting.

But I’ve also learned that we Tar Heels often forget about the communities outside of our own, and these too impact our daily lives. Every year, a new class arrives and another class leaves. Because college is so transient, it’s easy to draw a small circle around our social and civic lives and only focus on our academics and campus life while the local businesses and residents remain.

Jaleah Taylor and Visitors Bureau Director Laurie Paolicelli.

Interning this summer with the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau I was given an up-close-and-personal look at this county, and came to have a clearer understanding of it.

The Visitors Bureau is located at 308 West Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. It’s a division of Orange County government financed through a special hotel tax. The bureau exists to attract new visitors, fill our hotels, and strengthen our economy.

Jaleah Taylor bridging town and gown through a summer internship program.

My mission? To get into the middle of everything going on and share these happenings on social media, telling a wider audience about events taking place here. 

And it’s a lot.

My assignments included covering the Small Town Pride parade in Carrboro and watching our community continue to fight for LGBT rights. I interviewed local business owners about their hopes for new business to sustain them during the slow summer months, and attending a Visitors Bureau board meeting to track the issues happening behind the scenes in the local hospitality industry. Who knew? For example, this past year UNC changed commencement from Sunday to Saturday night for the first time ever. At our board meeting we heard financial reports on how this affected jobs and the hotel industry.

Jaleah Taylor helped with preparations for the July trolley tour sponsored by the Town of Carrboro and Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau.

I was given the opportunity to sit in on a meeting with Orange County communicators. There were people there who worried about abandoned pets in the animal shelter, alternatives for housing for those in need, where our garbage goes and how important our public health communication is.

Jaleah Taylor and Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts.

Most important, I am grateful for how welcomed I was. The business community and local government was excited at how excited I was to learn. They know now that students at Carolina are dedicated to service and willing and able to do the next right thing. 

I’m grateful for the summer of giving back, and giving to. Our community is in good hands with these leaders. I was happy to show up, be present and share my point of view. And they listened.

Jaleah Taylor shares her internship experience and her newfound definition of community.

It’s essential for college students to truly connect with the community around them. It’s so easy to fall into a routine and miss out on exploring our own backyard, but local businesses appreciate seeing us. Our government leaders value our voices. We have a wonderful civic opportunity to attend council meetings or community events, helping to bridge the gap between the town and the university. By showing up and getting involved, we create a stronger, more vibrant community that benefits everyone.