Taylor earns second four-year Army scholarship for PBHS

A second student at Poplar Bluff High School has earned a four-year U.S. Army scholarship.

Aaron Taylor, a senior, will attend the University of North Georgia, one of six senior military colleges in the nation, where he plans to pursue a degree in international affairs.

Taylor said he chose UNG because of the rigor within its ROTC Corps of Cadets, and the fact that the institution has a Russian language program.

“Taylor has been very engaged with us; he’s a very dynamic leader within our organization,” said Maj. Gregory Crites, senior Army instructor at PBHS. “He’s also very involved with the choir and his youth group at church. He’s just an all-around good citizen.”

Serving as command sergeant major over the Pvt. Billie G. Kanell JROTC Battalion for two years, Taylor has held leadership roles on the drill team, the raider team and the color guard.

Classmate Elizabeth Shirrell previously received a four-year college scholarship from the Army in the first round of selections. Less than 1,000 such scholarships are awarded each year nationally, according to Crites.