Shay Taylor, ’17, didn’t begin her journey to medicine in a lecture hall — it started in the hallways of Yale New Haven Hospital, where she worked as a janitor at just 18 years old.
Today, the New Haven native and Southern Connecticut State University alumna is months away from graduating with her Doctor of Medicine degree from Howard University College of Medicine — and her remarkable story of resilience and purpose is gaining attention across Connecticut and beyond.
Feature stories about Taylor recently appeared on WTNH and NBC Connecticut, and she also appeared on “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” sharing how her personal experience sparked her pursuit of medicine.
A graduate of Wilbur Cross High School, Taylor enrolled at Southern as a biology major while caring for her mother, who was battling a mysterious illness that doctors struggled to diagnose. Frustrated by the lack of answers — and the ways race and gender seemed to impact her mother’s care — Taylor’s experience lit a fire that ultimately guided her into medicine.
That turning point was life-changing.
“I want to be the doctor who understands where people are coming from,” Taylor told NBC Connecticut. “We need people who look like us, who understand our struggles.”
Taylor now shares her story on social media to inspire others and hopes to return to Connecticut to practice medicine and give back to the community that shaped her.
🔗 Watch Shay Taylor’s story on WTNH
🔗 Read NBC Connecticut’s feature
🔗 See her segment on “The Jennifer Hudson Show”
