FAR LEFT: Taylor during her interview at the
Distinguished Young Women contest.
LEFT: Taylor won Michigan’s competition and will
compete for the national title this June in Mobile, Ala.
Alicia Mendelson, family educator and
madrichim coordinator at Tyner Religious
School, agrees. “Melanie is an exceptional
young lady. Her amiability, kindness and
compassion allow her to easily engage
with her students as she fosters their
learning and growth in every respect,”
Mendelson says. “Amongst the most
important aspects of a madrich’s role is
to exemplify the type of young adult that
students should aspire to be. As an excel-
lent student herself, a competitive dancer
and a dedicated volunteer, she’s a natural
role-model and inspiration.”
Taylor makes sure her community ser-
vice involves the programs that helped
shape who she is and positively impact
the Jewish and Birmingham communities.
“As a madricha, I’m at the point now
2 O O7
10 Years
of doing school differently
Happy 10 th Anniversary!
Oakland Early College
Orchard Ridge Campus, Farmington Hills
and professional experiences in a small school
environment, and up to 60 transferable credits towards
their undergraduate degree and/or an Associate
Degree from Oakland Community College.
ęĊđđĆėđĆĘĘĔċ2018
Where they’re headed . . .
Albion College
Cedarville University
Central Michigan University
Chapman University
DePaul University
Eastern Michigan University
Grand Valley State University
Kalamazoo College
Kenyon College
Kettering University
Langston University
Lawrence Technological University
Lees-McRae College
Loyola University Chicago
Michigan State University
Michigan Technological University
Mississippi State University
D
Oakland Community College
Oakland University
Oberlin College
Ohio Wesleyan University
Penn State University
Purdue University
Tiffin University
United States Armed Forces
University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Massachusetts Boston
University of Vermont
University of Detroit Mercy
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
University of Michigan Dearborn
Wayne State University
Western Michigan University
Whitman College
E A R LY
LEGE
OL
C Culture
Oakland
Early
College
Oakland
Early
College (OEC) is a “hybrid” school
Hybrid
High
School
College
combining the best and
elements
of high school and
Oakland
County
residents
can school
earn a on
high
school
college.
OEC students
attend
Oakland
diploma
AND
an
Associate
degree
or
60
cred-
Community College’s Orchard Ridge campus, engaging
its in towards
a Bachelor’s
degree - tuition
free taught
- at
an exciting
college-preparatory
curriculum
by teachers
award-winning
West high
Bloomfield
Oakland
Early from
College.
OEC blends
school
students
graduate
with their
and School
college District.
into a OEC
5 year
program
combining
high
high
school diplomas,
innovative
school
graduation
and two
years of educational
college...
Taylor knows she didn’t get to where
she is today alone, and she credits her
family, teachers, dance coach and volun-
teer advisers. She’s learned a lot from their
mentorship.
“Being able to listen to and take other
people’s advice is the most valuable thing
I’ve learned,” she says. “It’s knowing your
own priorities but allowing others around
you to help in what you want to do.
That’s super important and allows you to
become successful.”
With an impressive resume behind
her, what’s in store for Taylor’s future? To
start, she’s heading to Mobile, Ala., in June
to compete in the Distinguished Young
Women National Finals. Then, it’s off to
Ann Arbor in the fall to pursue a degree in
linguistics at the University of Michigan.
While at U-M, she plans to be just as
involved as she was in high school and
is hoping to write for the Michigan Daily,
join the hip hop dance troupe and investi-
gate Greek life.
She plans to eventually become a
lawyer. •
Oakland Early College Proudly Congratulates the
College
OA K L A N
E A R LY
D
LEGE
OL
C
OA K L A N
the editorial board on newspaper, and I
was captain this year on dance team. It’s
the motivation to create a legacy and to
give back to the programs that made me
who I am.”
Karen Gordon, JCC Maccabi Games
and ArtsFest co-delegation head, says
Taylor’s work with the Maccabi dance
team is motivating to the girls she works
with.
“As an athlete, she competed with grace
both on and off the dance floor. She was
always quick to lend a helping hand to
not only her teammates, but also those
from other delegations and in the host
community,” Gordon says. “The girls look
up to her leadership, dance success and
energy. Her accomplishments both in and
out of the competitive arena are inspiring.”
where the kids that I tutored for their
bar/bat mitzvahs are now becoming
madrichim themselves, so that’s amazing
that it’s come full circle,” she says. “I really
feel like I’m teaching kids Hebrew, pre-
paring them for the bimah and making
them think about the scripture and what
they’re reading.”
Not only does her volunteer work allow
her to leave a legacy in the communities
that mean so much to her, but her time
as a madricha and with Maccabi have
allowed her to stay in touch with her
Jewish faith and create her own religious
identity.
“I’ve learned a lot about Judaism going
back to the classroom as a madricha year
after year. It’s so important for me to still
know Hebrew because it’s a huge part of
my Jewish identity,” Taylor says. “Staying
involved allows me to think about
Judaism on my own terms as opposed to
just being fed a religious school experi-
ence. It gives me a more intimate relation-
ship with my religion because it’s some-
thing I developed on my own.”
Co
m m u nit
y
2 O O7
West Bloomfield
School District
Oakland Early College
WWW . WBSD . ORG
www.oaklandearlycollege.org
jn
May 24 • 2018
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