Kalamazoo Times

Taylor Ernst's support animal, Muffin, has been with her throughout her college experience and will accompany her as she pursues a career in diabetes advocacy with a job at Insulet, a company focused on diabetes management technology. KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Taylor Ernst was six years old when doctors discovered she had type 1 diabetes.

"I was diagnosed so young that I can barely remember what it was like to not take an insulin injection."

Sixteen years later, she's preparing to graduate from Western Michigan University with a bachelor's degree in marketing and a job that will give her the opportunity to save other kids the discomfort of constant needle jabs.

Ernst accepted a full-time position with Insulet, a company that developed a device called Omnipod—a line of tubeless, wearable pod-based insulin management systems.

"As a type 1 diabetic, I possess real-world experience that I am eager to bring to the field of health care and marketing sales," she says. "When I got the notification that I'd been hired (by Insulet), I couldn't believe it. I couldn't imagine a better spot."

Ernst, who grew up in Milford, Michigan, transferred to Western midway through her college experience. She didn't have a clear direction but knew she wanted to pursue a career related to business that leaned into her networking skills, so she enrolled in some sales and marketing courses in Western's Haworth College of Business.

During an independent study course with Dr. Kelley O'Reilly, professor and chair of the Department of Marketing, everything clicked.

"The independent study was all about looking at companies I might want to work for and going through the process of preparing to apply for jobs," she says. "She was genuinely interested in my success, and it was so easy to work with her. She gave me contacts and helped me out and always cheered me on."

An internship with Gieslinger Corporation, a manufacturing company in Battle Creek, Michigan, gave Ernst expertise in social media marketing. With little background in engineering, however, the experience also helped her realize she wanted to focus her career in a field where she had personal experience: medical devices and diabetes advocacy.

"My personal journey with type 1 diabetes has inspired me to support others facing similar challenges," says Ernst. "I take pride in creating positive change and enhancing the well-being of individuals and communities."

Once Ernst found a lane to channel her passion, her professors gave her agency to explore it even further.

"Greg Gerfen let me make my own product and run a marketing campaign with it. I started centering all of my projects on diabetes advocacy," she says. "My professors were all very interested, and it was fun to explain more to them about diabetes and teach them something in the process."

Completing resume-worthy projects related to the health care field gave Ernst an edge when she embarked on the application and interview process.

"Western set me up for success in my field by allowing me to find my passion and centralize my learning, and I can't wait to get started with my dream company!"

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.