Maybe you've seen Taylor Getting in any of Iowa Central's plays or musicals the last couple of years. Or maybe you've seen him around Halloween in the haunted attraction he helps construct and operate at Crossroads Mall. Perhaps you know him from his church activities or through his computer networking involvement at the college.
Point is, Taylor Getting, Iowa Central Community College sophomore from Fort Dodge, is heavily involved in many areas, and he's another example of a student who has used his time at Iowa Central to build and expand on his wide range of interests.
``Before I really have to start focusing on a job, I have a lot of ways to stay involved,'' he said. This month, for instance, you may see him as Judah, brother of Joseph in Iowa Central's musical production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He's had primary roles in Curtains, Taming the Wild, Wild West (In a Dress) and Noises Off, the other major productions on the Decker Auditorium stage in the time he's spent at Iowa Central. ``I love to sing and do things with music and it's another way for me to get involved.''
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Taylor Getting of Fort Dodge is studying computer networking.
Getting's versatility, involvement and 3.9 grade point average, helped him become one of two students honored as Iowa Central members of the USA Today all-Iowa academic team. He is a nominee for the all-American team among students from two-year colleges.
This spring, Getting will graduate with his Associate of Science Degree in Computer Networking, then move on to Iowa State University. His plans are to combine business with information systems management and wind up as somebody's `chief technology officer'. ``It's a growing field and getting more complex,'' he says.
In December he captained a six-member team of Iowa Central students in a cyber defense competition at Iowa State. Competing against other colleges, Getting's Iowa Central team had to devise protection for a computer network then stand back as another group of students tried to hack in. The longer you could safeguard your network from the attackers, the better you fared. It was all designed to give students a real world experience into what it means to be involved in complex information systems assurance.
``I had planned on going to Iowa State out of high school, but changed my mind when Marc Matthes outlined the computer networking program at Iowa Central to me. I'm glad I made that decision,'' he said. Matthes is director of the Computer Networking Program at Iowa Central.
Each October leading up to Halloween, Getting and friend Alex Kitterman build a popular haunted attraction inside Crossroads Mall. Utilizing computer-based animatronics, the pair spooked more than 3,000 visitors last year.
Taylor Getting is another example of a student making the most of his Iowa Central experience.