Building Bridges With Intention

Graduate Taylor Price Grows from Experiences with the Cardinal Bridge Academy, Finds Fortitude Amidst Obstacles

Before graduate Taylor Price walked across the stage in May 2025 with a business degree and a job offer in hand, she was a child who loved homework. “I’ve always been a school person,” she said. “Even when I was in first and second grade, I would spend my summers doing fifth grade work.” That deep-rooted love of learning—paired with a natural drive to do things well—followed her from the classroom to the basketball court and eventually to the College of Business at the University of Louisville. However, the real transformation happened between those milestones, when motivation wore thin. Now, with a full-time position already secured at Republic Bank, Price is reflecting on the real story behind her success—and how her experiences with Executive Director of Undergraduate Programs Raymond Green, the Cardinal Bridge Academy, a basketball injury and one college course helped her overcome personal and academic challenges and build resilience that has resulted in her success.

From Principal to Partner

Price first connected with Green as an eighth-grade student when he reached out to her family about some unique academic opportunities as she advanced into high school. Always driven toward educational challenges, once Price began her academic journey at Central High School, where Green served as principal, she was informed of the inaugural launch of the Cardinal Bridge Academy­–a CoB program which brought together her desire to challenge herself academically and get ahead on earning college credits while completing her high school degree. “I had been interested in going into business because both my parents have a business administration degree,” she shared. “What made the CBA interesting was [that] I would get actual college credit. I thought, ‘this is a way for when I come in on my freshman semester, I can ease into it rather than taking a full load.’ I was able to take 13 credit hours during my first semester of college and I’m still graduating on time–that’s thanks to the CBA, because I earned those three credits from there.”

Green, reflecting on his experience as Price’s mentor during her high school years, explained that, “Taylor began high school like her peers, eager to excel. However, she stood out in her disposition, her commitment to excellence and her overall approach to interacting with teachers, coaches and peers.” Green’s academic mentorship with Price evolved in ways that allowed the mentor and mentee to connect not just outside the classroom, but inside as well. “I had the privilege of teaching Taylor in Management 305, our Intro to Human Resources class.  In this one semester, I saw Taylor rely less on her talent, and more on her work ethic.”

Bounce Back Brilliance

Building resilience didn’t just happen in her high school classrooms; for Price, the ability to become a self-starter and self-motivator and to hold herself accountable, happened from her experiences on the basketball court. “I had dreams of playing in college through elementary, middle and partially high school. But my senior year I injured my ankle and it tanked my confidence completely,” she explained. While difficult for Price, the event served to prepare her for collegiate life in ways she had not expected. “I think not playing basketball has benefited me more in college than hurt me. I feel like it’s taught me more lessons, especially about accountability and discipline,” she shared. “In basketball you always had someone keeping you accountable. When I got to college, it was all up to me. So that was really an eye-opener for sure.”

Leaning into the fortitude and resilience Price had developed became necessary during her first semester due to a particularly challenging course–microeconomics, which caused her to approach not just her learning but self-care with purpose and dedication. “I remember my first test was a 67% and I [said], ‘I have to find a way to fix this, because I just can’t live with this.’ So immediately I started being more intentional about my work,” she said. “I wasn’t just following along with the professor and doing the work–I was making connections. If there were any opportunities within the homework for me to practice, I would do that. In doing that, I was able to create discipline in a lot of other areas of my life.”

The effort she poured into that course created a positive domino effect in her world. “I tell people a lot of times, it’s hard to be two different people. When you have habits in one place, they’ll probably carry over in others. Building those habits in class allowed me to get better with my health and nutrition. I started going to the gym and being more disciplined about things like that–even just small things like self-care and day-to-day routines. College courses actually helped me with that because I was building the accountability and disciplinary habits that I needed.”

Gateway to the Future

As she graduates and begins a new position in auditing for Republic Bank, Price reflected on the experiences both the CBA and the college have had on her academic and individual growth, and encourages those considering the organization take the chance and get involved. “It allows you to get ahead and prepare for what’s coming next,” she explained. “I really feel like the CBA provided insight for what college life looks like, [with] seeing the workload, how college functions, how to properly communicate with a professor and how professors communicate with you. I think that’s super important.”

Launched in 2020 by Green and Professor Nat Irvin, the CBA aims to give underserved area high school students “access to higher education through pathways other than a traditional test scores [by] providing the opportunity for students to show they can do [the] work taught by our faculty,” Green said. With a focus on holistic support, including academic preparation, scholarship writing and mentorship, the program has grown exponentially, with over 300 students participating during the 2024-25 academic year.

While the CBA aims to aid as many high school students as possible, Green explained the necessity of financial donors and professional mentors to sustain this innovative program. “Although we have a robust program in place, we cannot do this alone. Taylor and her colleagues are proof that the program works. If you have a passion for programming like the Cardinal Bridge Academy please reach out at raymond.green@louisville.edu. Our region is an untapped surplus of talent. The CBA helps us identify the next Taylor and the next leaders of our city, commonwealth and nation.”

About the UofL College of Business:

Founded in 1953, the UofL College of Business fosters intellectual and economic vitality in our city, region and the global business landscape. Our academic programs, research, community outreach initiatives and commitment to student success inspire lives and businesses to flourish through entrepreneurship, innovation, critical thinking, diversity and the power of people.

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