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The heartbeat of a community

by Finn Gomez
Carrie Taylor, 60, of Manchester, Ohio works on a wreath with material cut from a nearby grapevine outside of her home in Manchester, OH. Carrie has always had a passion for being outdoors, “I love being outside, It’s where I like to be,” she said. One of her passion projects, and a source of secondary income, wreath-making, has inspired and empowered Carrie to work for herself and create a product from the land. Through her work as an Associate Professor and Adult Agriculture Instructor at Maysville Community and Technical College, her classroom extends far beyond campus. She works tirelessly to support local, especially small farms trying to be sustainable and ethical.

As the sun rises over the Ohio River, it reveals a simple truth: even the smallest places can hold the deepest hearts. For Carrie Taylor, that heart beats in Maysville, Kentucky.

Originally from Massachusetts, Taylor has made Maysville not just her home, but her calling. As an associate professor and adult agriculture instructor at Maysville Community and Technical College, her classroom extends far beyond campus. She spends her days moving through the counties she serves, mentoring students, advising farmers, and connecting education with everyday life on the land. A self-described horticulturist, entomologist, agriculturist, florist and more, her work spans the vast skillset needed to run a farm in the rural parts of Kentucky. 

Her impact stretches into Lighthouse Farm, where individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities find purpose and independence through agricultural training. “It’s one of the most meaningful things that I get to do,” Taylor said, a reflection of how her work blends compassion with real-world impact. Lonna Bussell, the director of Lighthouse Farms recalls her relationship with Carrie, and said, “I can just call Carrie and say, stuff is dying. Come help us.”

When Carrie first arrived in Maysville, she knew no one. “I didn’t know anybody,” she recalled. But isolation never suited her. She described herself as “an airport person”—someone who starts conversations with strangers—and that openness helped her build a network of deep, lasting friendships.

Her days are filled with visiting farms, advising students and nurturing sustainable change across the community. Evenings bring her back home, where she finds peace in cooking and spending time with her family.

Through it all, Carrie Taylor hasn’t just built a life in Maysville, she’s become part of its heartbeat: a teacher, mentor and friend whose care continues to grow across generations and fields alike.



Carrie Taylor, 60, of Manchester, Ohio and Thadeus White, a student at Lighthouse Farm, carry craft supplies into the school and educational farm for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. As part of her job with Maysville Community & Technical College, Carrie helps with various aspects of the educational farm program. Program director Lonna Bussell described a time Carrie helped students push a massive tractor tire down the hill, which has now been immortalized near the greenhouse with flowers and decor that Carrie helped grow.
Lighthouse Farm students Katy Stamper, 36, of Morehead, KY and Trevor Shotwell, 32, of Maysville, KY work with Carrie Taylor, 60, of Manchester, OH to create dried flower bouquets to give as gifts to each other and friends at Lighthouse Farm. The flowers Carrie brought were from various farms and her own home garden, which she grows lavender year round and ensures she carries enough with her to give as gifts. The students at Lighthouse Farm work in an environment that teaches them skills like managing a farm, raising bunnies and pigs, and arts and crafts.
Carrie Taylor, 60, of Manchester, OH has hands full of dirt as she finishes working in her garden outside of her house, where she finds her happy place. “The outdoors is my favorite place to be, everyone knows me for that,” she said. Her love of the outdoors is evident through her work as an Associate Professor and Adult Agriculture Instructor at Maysville Community and Technical College, where she turns the outdoors into her classroom, teaching small farms, community members, and others the important of sustainable agriculture, horticulture and everything a farmer could need to know.
Carrie Taylor, 60, of Manchester, OH hugs her granddaughter Ellie Furtado, 8, of Manchester, OH while enjoying moments in her daughter Anna Furtado’s home after dinner. Carrie and Ellie enjoyed the embrace following dinner.
Carrie Taylor, 60, of Manchester, OH plays with her granddaughter Ellie Furtado, 8, of Manchester, OH in a tree Ellie named Myhah, pronounced as Mya, while visiting. Carrie has long held a fondness for climbing trees, recalling memories as a child often as she climbed. Carrie’s love of being outdoors comes from her time living in Massachusetts as a child where she was able to climb trees and enjoy nature, something she finds herself doing as often as possible in her life. Although she may be held back at times my a rolled ankle, she continuously pushes to enjoy nature at its finest, and in the good company of her granddaughter.
Carrie Taylor, 60, of Manchester, Ohio lets her dog Sasha out after dinner, in which she made her grandmother’s chicken cutlet and fettuccini dinner. Sasha, who she considers to be her closest friend is her loyal companion, waiting for her to arrive home. “She’s my best friend, I don’t know what I’d do without her,” Carrie said.
Carrie Taylor, 60, of Manchester, OH has long struggled with her ankle, as a result of her labor at work. She willed herself to compete with the men on the job as an Associate Professor and Adult Agriculture Instructor at Maysville Community and Technical College. Her ankle limits her from some activities, like climbing trees, although she makes an exception from time to time to relive childhood memories.
Carrie Taylor, 60, of Manchester, OH rubs her face while eating dinner, which she made her grandmother’s recipe of chicken cutlets and alfredo parmesan pasta. She found a passion for cooking in her twenties, and as she watched her grandmother cook, she picked up her recipes, making them now to find solace and comfort at the end of her day.
Carrie Taylor, 60, of Manchester, Ohio hands a noodle to her dog Sasha during dinner, in which she made her grandmother’s chicken cutlet and fettuccini dinner. Cooking is something Carrie holds near to her heart, as well as Sasha, who she considers to be her best friend. “She’s my best friend, I don’t know what I’d do without her,” Carrie said.