When Kylee Taylor ’23 and Trey Messer ’24 walked into “REL 108: The Kingdom of God and a Good Society,” they were looking for answers to life’s big questions and a few credits toward graduation. They expected a semester full of heavy reading lists and late-night paper writing. Falling in love wasn’t on the syllabus.
Today, the two recent alums have launched their careers … while planning a wedding … while making time to give back to the place where it all began. As the student engagement co-chairs for the Davidson Black Alumni Network, the pair shares a passion for serving as resources for Davidson students. Taylor also serves as a young alum co-chair for the Charlotte Regional Chapter.
Long before wedding plans began, the two were eager to see how college could change their lives. They arrived from different states with different goals — Taylor drawn to the campus and Messer to the gridiron — and both quickly found community.
“My first time on campus felt so surreal because of how beautiful it was. It looked like something straight out of a small town movie,” said Taylor, a Miami, Florida, native. “As a Posse Scholar, I got to choose between six schools, but Davidson was easily my top choice.”
Messer, a football recruit from Dacula, Georgia, was already looking toward the future.
“I was impressed by how established the alumni network infrastructure was,” Messer said, “and the opportunities that could open up for me.”
Taylor and Messer followed a few similar paths throughout college. Both were active members of the Black Student Coalition, and were deeply influenced by the Chidsey Program for Leadership Development and its director, Nadia Campbell, who remains a mentor to this day.
The scholar-athlete experience became a huge part of both of their journeys: Taylor, a computer science major, joined the cheer team starting sophomore year, and Messer, a biology major, stayed busy with football — plus a stint as a member of the cheer team.
They share gratitude for all the ways they grew individually and together.
Davidson made me more secure in who I was as a person and as a leader. Mentors, advisors, faculty, coaches — they pushed me to be confident in my identity and step into rooms where I didn't always feel comfortable. I learned how to build real relationships, communicate with clarity and approach problems creatively. The rigor at Davidson didn't just prepare me academically — it taught me resilience.
Like Messer, Taylor found a community that helped her thrive.
“My high school was predominantly Hispanic, and the Black population was almost non-existent,” she said. “So, even though Davidson is a predominately white institution, I had never been around so many people who looked like me and shared my interests.
Like Trey, I also figured out who I was as a leader. I’ve always been a quieter person around people I don’t know, but I do try to fill in holes where I’m most needed. My experience with cheer and other activities showed me that all kinds of leadership are valuable, and just because I might not be the same kind of leader as those around me, it doesn’t mean I’m not one.
A Future So Bright
While the bride- and groom-to-be enjoy looking back on where it all began, the future is full of excitement, too. They’re just getting started in terms of the difference they hope to make for Davidson College and its students.
“As a student, I wished I had more opportunities to connect with alums and see how their lives were post-Davidson,” Taylor said. “It’s one thing to hear about this amazing alumni network, which is completely real, but it takes it to the next level when you can actually build meaningful relationships. I want to help bridge more student-alum relationships as well as alum-alum relationships. It’s so important.”
Messer wants to help students avoid the mistakes he made when he was new to Davidson, while also helping students recognize and appreciate the foundation laid by alums.
“When I first started out, I saw college as a transactional thing — you do the work, and they give you a diploma,” he said. "As I reflect on my undergraduate years, I realize that it gave me more than just a degree, and I want students to view their time at Davidson in the same way. It’s also important to me, especially with Black students, to inform them of the history of the college and the BSC. We’re doing them a disservice if we don’t educate them on what the many generations that came before us have had to overcome.”
Outside of volunteer commitments, Messer is in physician assistant school at Mercer University in Georgia, where he also finds time to volunteer at his church and with the football team at his former high school. Taylor is a software engineer for an insurance company in Charlotte. If you stop by a Davidson Cheer practice, you’re likely to find her there, too.
As for a wedding? It’s on the calendar for some time in 2028, and the pair is leaning toward calling Charlotte home. Taylor is taking the lead on the nuptial plans, but Messer led the way for the engagement.
“We had been on a series of picnic dates throughout the months leading up to it,” Messer explained. “I knew I wanted to propose close to campus, so I surprised her with a lake picnic at Jetton Park and popped the big question at the end.”
It was a great plan that made up for a false alarm a few weeks prior.
“It was my first trip with his family to Miramar Beach, Florida,” Taylor said. “There was a day we all wore matching outfits and planned for a photo shoot. I was already imagining posting the engagement pics on Instagram, using the caption ‘Five minutes before I got engaged,’ and then nothing happened. I couldn’t imagine a better time or place — on the beach, wearing white — but what he did instead was so special, and all our family members and friends flew in to celebrate with us after the proposal.”
Wherever the future takes them, Messer and Taylor will look back fondly on the first chapter of their life story at Davidson College.
