A Madison, Alabama, native will lead her classmates into the 2025 commencement ceremony at Auburn University this Saturday.
Ella Taylor, an agricultural science major with a minor in poultry science, is the August 2025 graduation marshal for the College of Agriculture.
Taylor said being named marshal was particularly meaningful to her after a tough start to her collegiate experience. An illness nearly caused her to medically withdraw, and her grade-point average dropped because of her struggles.
“I was close to academic probation due to health issues that kept me from attending class,” she explained. “When I came back sophomore year, I found my people in the College of Agriculture, got back on my feet and worked incredibly hard to raise my grades. Going from nearly being on academic probation to graduating with honors and serving as graduation marshal for the College of Agriculture is something I never could’ve imagined four years ago.”
Taylor said she “couldn’t have done it without the support of the students and staff in the College of Agriculture.”
“My favorite thing about the College of Agriculture is the people who make it what it is: students, professors, advisors, faculty, staff and graduate students,” she said. “Everyone is so genuine and hardworking and really embodies the Auburn spirit.”
Taylor’s time in the college was punctuated by extensive undergraduate field and lab experience. She was an intern for Amick Farms in Batesburg, South Carolina, in summer 2024. She also spent a semester as an undergraduate research assistant in the lab of Professor Dianna Bourassa, where she assisted lab personnel and faculty members with research projects, including collection of blood and meat samples and media preparation. She also helped teach Alabama FFA poultry education clinics, Auburn Broiler Chicken Euthanasia Training, and Extension incubating and hatching educational activities with lab personnel.
She also worked as a greenhouse associate for Botanic in Opelika, where she was responsible for routine feeding, caretaking and doctoring of ducks, geese and chickens and maintained detailed interiors, floral arrangements and displays across the Botanic property.
In addition to her work experience, Taylor was actively involved in student organizations, including the Poultry Science Club, the Poultry Judging Team and Omega Phi Alpha National Service Sorority. She received numerous awards, including 2025 Second Place USPoultry Student of the Year; the Alabama Poultry Foundation Allied Scholarship; the Philip Lutzenkirchen Excellence in Public Speaking Auburn Speaks Semi Finalist; the University Club of Auburn Endowed Scholarship; and the Spirit of Auburn Founders Scholarship.
To incoming students, Taylor has a little advice for how to succeed in the classroom like she did: Write your notes on paper.
“I always did best in classes where I took physical notes and rewrote them later,” she said. “Also, go to office hours. A lot of the time, you’ll be the only one who shows up. Your professors want you to succeed, and they’d love to help if you’re struggling.”
