Hokie ClubName: Taylor Geiman
College: Engineering
Major: Biomedical engineering
Hometown: Hanover, Pennsylvania
Plans after graduation: Design engineer for PROTECT3D
Favorite Hokie memories: Winning the 2023 ACC Championship and advancing to the Final Four
Taylor Geiman is busy.
As a senior on the women's basketball team, she helped the Hokies reach the 2023 Final Four for the first time in program history. But in between games, practices and the constant stresses of being a Division I student-athlete, she found time to complete coursework for her biomedical engineering major.
Following University Commencement on May 12, Geiman will immediately put her degree to work as a design engineer for PROTECT3D, which tailors medical equipment for athletes based on their anatomy. As a soon-to-be graduate, Geiman reflected on her time at Virginia Tech.
Family environment
Virginia Tech's prestigious engineering department helped steer Geiman towards Blacksburg, along with the performance of the women's basketball team which had begun trending in the right direction. Geiman liked science and math in high school and was always interested in the medical field with no interest in becoming a doctor. When she learned about the biomedical engineering program on a recruiting visit, Geiman knew she wanted to enter the field, which cemented her college choice, Virginia Tech.
On the basketball side, what led Geiman to Blacksburg was the people she would be around. Geiman built a relationship with head coach Kenny Brooks in high school, and knew she would fit in.
"It was such a family environment," Geiman said. "When I visited, I felt like I really fit in with the girls and the coaching staff. I knew that they would really develop me and I knew that I fit their style of play."
Balancing academics and sport
It was a challenge to juggle academics and athletics, but she was fortunate to have the support of both her professors and coaches. It was tough to make up the schoolwork she missed, especially during their 2023 March Madness run, but her professors were all understanding of the situation. Some would even email Geiman to say good luck before games.
"I told [my professors] that we were going straight from Seattle to Dallas if we won [and advanced to the Final Four], and they were like 'I hope we don't see you for a while; keep winning,'" Geiman recalled.
During her four years at Virginia Tech, Geiman had to improve her time management skills. When she had free time, she needed to complete her assignments. After her freshman year, she could sufficiently balance her commitments and procrastinate less.
"I'm still a bit of a procrastinator," Geiman said. "But I like to say I'm more of a planned procrastinator. I know that I'm going to be able to get it done."
Hokie for life
Geiman came from a basketball family. Her mother played at West Virginia University, her father played through high school and her brother played at Christopher Newport University. Geiman's mother was her basketball coach, starting in third grade and training her through high school.
"People joked in high school that I walked out of the womb with a basketball," Geiman said.
Above all else, Geiman is proud of her accomplishments at Virginia Tech. She played in 31 games on the 2022-23 team, which won the program's first ACC Championship and advanced to the program's first Final Four.
"I love being a Hokie and will always be a Hokie," Geiman said.