Balancing Act

For Taylor Liguori, the University of Maryland felt like destiny. Whether it was the fact that she grew up 30 minutes away from campus, both her parents were Terps, or that she grew up attending games as a Maryland fan, for her to commit, it "didn't take much convincing."

Liguori's path to Maryland started much earlier than most athletes. At 15 years old, in the spring of her freshman year, Ligiouri committed to the University of Maryland to play softball. 

"There was no hesitation on me coming here and as soon as I got the chance I jumped on it."

Even though the stress of finding a school to continue her career was off her back early, that didn't mean the job was finished. For Liguori, she was just getting started.

"I think the committing part was actually the easy process. The hard part was continuing to prove myself and make sure that I was ready once I got to college."

"I worked really hard to get to where I was and nothing was ever really given to me. I wanted to show through high school softball, like 'hey, I got to where I was for a reason.'"

With the commitment solidified, Liguori could focus on playing softball and attending high school. 

When Liguori eventually arrived in Maryland, she was introduced to the Maryland Made program.

"All the different opportunities they give you, I never really knew about until I got here," Liguori said, "I definitely think it's helped me a lot. I was able to get a bunch of different mentors."

"Getting to know a bunch of different people who are always in your corner was something that I thought I was never really going to be able to get."

Liguori felt that it is often difficult for athletes to balance their time between sports and looking to the future. However, she quickly learned that Maryland Made was there to help athletes navigate this difficult balance during their time as Terps. 

"A lot of times, we don't think about the future because we're so into the sport at the time. That's something I think is really cool about Maryland and Maryland Made is that they really make sure you get that out of your experience in Maryland and that they really want you to focus on your future."

"As a commit, finally coming to Maryland and seeing that, it's really paid off. I'm really, really grateful that Maryland Made is even a thing in Maryland."

Now a senior, Liguori looks to give back to athletes and help them as she was helped when she came to school by getting involved in SAAC.

SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) is a leadership group led by student-athlete representatives from different sports within Maryland Athletics. It serves all student-athletes in Maryland and acts as a liaison between athletes, the administration, and the NCAA. 

The group aims to build and strengthen campus relationships and help athletes build up their skills and service. 

Liguori got involved with SAAC early in her career at Maryland and is now in a leadership position.

"I love it. I love the meetings. I love being able to get involved and meet other athletes, which is really one of the best ways [to give back]."

As part of SAAC, Liguori has been able to work with other athletes in leadership positions and help put on events for athletes to participate in. One of these events includes a dodgeball event SAAC put on as an opportunity for athletes to connect, have fun, and strengthen their community. 

SAAC also looks to do service events and provide opportunities for athletes to give back to the community. One of these events involved a SAAC event to wrap and deliver presents to families in need around the holidays at schools.

"Being able to go into schools and see the impact we're not only making on other athletes, but kids too… it's been super cool." 

For Liguori, in her senior season for softball, she can look back on her time at Maryland and look forward to her future. 

"It's nice to be able to give back to the athletes and the community," Liguori said, "And that wouldn't be possible without Maryland Made and their staff and everything we're doing with SAAC."