By Krista Keough
Jill Taylor BSc’22
The first time Jillian Taylor BSc’22 went to Saint Mary’s, it was to watch a football game with her family. “I must have been seven or eight,” she said. “There’s a photo of me holding boomsticks that you clap together…my mom’s kept it.”
Little did they know that Taylor would return to Saint Mary’s as a student, and this time, she would be the one on the field.
Born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Taylor excelled in science and played rugby throughout high school. Her former coach, Amber Davidson, was also coaching Saint Mary’s Huskies Women’s Rugby and encouraged her to apply to the university and join the team. Taylor is quick to note that the built-in friend group of players made the move to campus easier.
“What a great community of girls. To come in and have fourth-years who – this isn’t their first rodeo – they know the ropes and are able to show you around. That was really nice to have.”
Taking a step back from athletics in the years to follow to focus on her studies took Taylor in many directions.
“I switched my programs a lot. Trying to figure out my major was not linear at all. I ended up taking a lot of courses in different departments, which meant I took a little longer to finish my degree, but I got a good, well-rounded education.”
Jill participated in a SMU photoshoot
Taylor made time for extracurricular activities, such as scuba diving and participated in Model United Nations, an international conference where students learn about the UN system. “We actually went to the UN headquarters in New York City,” she said, where she made long-lasting friendships.
Ultimately, her credentials reflect her varied interests: Taylor graduated with a Bachelor of Science, double major in Biology and Psychology, Co-operative Education (Honours) and minor in Political Science.
“I feel like the whole point of an undergrad is to learn how to learn, and to try to learn what you don’t know.”
Taylor’s passion for exploration led her to achieve her scuba diving certification, unlocking a new world of possibilities. “I was doing biology courses, and I thought, 'This is so cool! The ocean’s in my backyard, I want to see what it’s like’.”
Scuba diving ignited her passion for underwater videography and photography. Despite the harsh conditions, she documented our “colourful, very biodiverse waters” in the Atlantic Ocean during her time at Saint Mary’s and in St. John’s, where she later moved to pursue her Master of Science at Memorial University.
Dive with Jill Taylor aired on Bell. Image: tv.bell.ca
While living in Newfoundland, she attended a networking event and met a director and a producer. They had watched some of her underwater scuba diving videos and pitched the idea of making a TV show together.
“That was something I’d never even thought about or conceptualized. It just honestly fell into my lap, and I’m really glad it did because it was so much fun.”
Taylor worked with the crew at Right There Productions and her partner and fellow diver, Tanner Stein, to host, produce and shoot footage for the six-episode series called Dive Newfoundland with Jill Taylor, which aired in April and May 2025 on Bell Media.
In each episode, they feature a different community and Taylor interviews local people before going underwater to film marine life.
“I think a common misconception of the North Atlantic is that there’s nothing to see here, that you have to hop on a plane and go somewhere tropical to see really cool fish species. And that’s just not the case.”
The co-operative education component of her degree at Saint Mary’s helped Taylor transition from the classroom to begin her career. “Having work terms interspersed with my school terms was the best decision I made.”
One work term, in particular, she credits with helping her land her current position as a science communicator for Coastal Action, a non-profit environmental organization based in Mahone Bay. “I worked for them as a field technician and now I’m back as permanent staff.”
These days, the 27-year-old is prioritizing her full-time job and completing her master’s degree, while honing her craft as a videographer and sharing her adventures via Instagram. Last summer, she assisted with the underwater diving portion of a major documentary and thinks it would be fun to do a second diving TV show series set in Nova Scotia.
“If the opportunity arose, I’d definitely jump at it,” she said, ready and eager to dive right in.
This story was featured in the Fall edition of the Maroon + White alumni magazine. Visit the online magazine to read more alumni stories!