Alumna Taylor Hathorn’s (’14, ’19) post-graduation path received a jump-start when she signed up to be a part of Land Grant Films’ Medal of Honor Project.
“I cannot begin to explain how formative that project was in my career,” the 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40 recipient from the School of Journalism and Media said.
The Medal of Honor Project is an award-winning, student-led video production project produced by Land Grant Films, a documentary production program as part of The Media Center at the College of Communication and Information. The project is a continuation of students’ coverage of the 2014 Medal of Honor Convention and focuses on documenting the stories of Medal of Honor recipients for future generations.
It was the first project Hathorn got involved in after switching her major to journalism. As part of the project, she interviewed Medal of Honor recipients, created promotional videos for two annual conventions, and had the opportunity to attend, and film, a dinner with the recipients and Supreme Court justices. Because of her involvement in this project, she went on to work directly for the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation in support of their nation-wide awareness and education initiatives.
Land Grant Films’ Director and School of Journalism and Media Professor Nick Geidner said Hathorn’s “hustle is part of what helped make the project the success it has become”.
“Having lived abroad for much of my life, I have such a strong appreciation for the freedoms we hold as Americans, and we have our veterans to thank for that,” Hathorn said. “An opportunity to be around them, learn from them, and assist in sharing their stories with a younger generation? I knew I had to be a part of it.”

Originally from Kountze, Texas, Hathorn spent many formative years living in Kuwait and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where her parents worked as educational consultants, forming the education curriculum and landscape of both nations.
Growing up a daughter of educators, attending college was always her plan; however, because of her families’ somewhat nomadic lifestyle, deciding which school to attend was left more up to chance. After narrowing down options, Hathorn secured a map. The closest school wins, she decided. She spun around, eyes closed and pointed; chance decided that would be the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
It turned out to be the right fit.
“Any time I am able to represent the University of Tennessee, I feel a lot of pride,” Hathorn said. “Having lived overseas for a good portion of our lives, because of my parents’ career and willingness to expose us to new cultures, UT became the first place where I felt I had an identity beyond being the American kid at an overseas school. In providing me a home, UT gave me so much; I feel so grateful for being able to assist in providing those same opportunities to future Volunteers.”
Upon graduation, Hathorn carried that commitment of service and community into her professional career where she has more than 10 years of experience working in industries geared towards public service.
Hathorn currently serves as a special advisor for strategic communications for the United States Space Force in Washington, DC.
Throughout her career she has earned multiple accolades, including: the 2023 Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association’s (AFCEA) 40 under 40 awards, the Defense and Security Segment Recognition Award, and now adds the University of Tennessee’s 40 under 40 to that list. Hathorn was also selected as a 2025 Independent Women’s Forum Visiting Fellow and served as a Strategic Communications Fellow for the Heritage Foundation.
Hathorn serves on the executive committee for the Washington, DC, UT Alumni Chapter and as a member of the Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) Board of Advisors at the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs.

She said UT prepared her for success professionally by equipping her with the “soft skills” she learned both in the classroom and while serving on different campus organizations.
“UT gave me the tools to figure out who I am, and how to ask for help and guidance when I was having a hard time figuring that part out,” Hathorn said. “While I undoubtedly received a great education at UT, those soft skills have had a greater impact on my career than anything I learned in a textbook.”
She feels grateful for the individuals who supported her and believes in taking the time to thank those who have helped her succeed.
“You never quite know the impact that telling someone how much they’ve meant to your career, or life, will hold until you’ve done it,” said Hathorn.
Paying it forward
Hathorn has been fortunate to have no shortage of people she feels has invested in her, both personally and professionally, and explained the importance that paying it forward continues to have on her life.
Hathorn, a Gold Star sister—a term used for someone who lost a sibling while they were on active-duty military service—is passionate about raising awareness surrounding causes impacting veterans and their families through organizations such as Mission 22, the Woody Williams Foundation, Gold Star Teen Adventures, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Wreaths Across America, the Travis Manion Foundation, and the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation to name a few. Hathorn also coaches golf on a military base for First Tee, an organization that teaches children the characteristics of what it means to be a good citizen through the sport of golf.
A cause particularly dear to Hathorn is the Reece’s Memorial Rugby Scholarship, in honor of her late-brother and Marine, Reece, who tragically died in a car accident just before he was slated to finish his service in the Marine Corps.
Reece and his twin brother, Christopher, grew up playing rugby for Bearden High School where Hathorn’s family spent many weekends watching the twins play, and ultimately bring home the state trophy. Reece’s sudden death hit both the family and community hard. More than 300 people from all over the world, including buddies from his time in service and those he played rugby with, came back to Knoxville to celebrate his life wearing rock band tee’s and Converse in his honor. Alongside her family, and hundreds of members of the community, Hathorn sat at the center of that same rugby pitch listening to Taps and a gun salute while Christopher, also a Marine, handed each family member a folded flag. It was then she had the idea to start a memorial scholarship in her brother’s honor.
That flag and the accompanying shell casings sit in Hathorn’s office, where it will remain throughout her career. “He’s gone, but his love for our family, and his pride in being both a Marine and an American sit over my shoulder daily,” said Hathorn.
“Being a Volunteer, to me, means answering the call. We all have one million things going on at any moment, but showing up matters,” Hathorn said. “Whenever I can lend a hand to offer some assistance, I do; it was done for me.”
Hathorn emphasized that her parents taught their four children how important it was to show up for others.
“Good deeds and a servant’s heart happen when others see how that is modeled,” said Hathorn. “We all have a responsibility to contribute to the creation of a society we want to live in; helping others is how that is done.”