Healthcare shouldn’t be a privilege, it’s a right. Everyone should have access to proper healthcare, and we can all pitch in to help.
As a part of our series about young people who are making a positive social impact, we had the pleasure of interviewing Taryn Jones, Eastern Michigan University.
Taryn Jones is a rising senior at the Early College Alliance at Eastern Michigan University. This program allows her to graduate high school with up to 65 college credits from EMU, with a strong focus on soft skills and developing S.M.A.R.T. goals for academic and professional success. She values learning, creativity, and a good challenge, embracing the opportunity for a university-level education while in high school.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I think the best way to describe how I grew up was “curious”. I was always asking everyone around me questions about whatever came to mind, and I’m very blessed to have grown up in an environment where my questions were answered and appreciated. They’ve always been really encouraging about whatever I want to achieve.
You are currently leading an organization that aims to make a social impact. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
Sure! I co-founded my school’s first Pre-Med club back in October of 2023. Our club is 40+ strong, and we’ll welcome more members in the fall. We have Q&A sessions with medical professionals, learn about careers in medicine, make nutrition and dietary goals, and we even got to touch real organs! We hosted our first 5k fundraiser to raise money for suicide awareness and prevention back in June (led by Avery Kelly and Elise Gelsanliter), and we plan on hosting more in the future! We’re also looking to expand into Ypsilanti and Belleville with a community-centered approach and an adolescent focus. We’re already setting up group volunteering, donation drives, and we have two field trips planned! Starting in June 2025, the Pre-Med club had the opportunity to begin shadowing at an outpatient facility at the University of Michigan. Getting shadow experience as a high school student is unbelievable, especially at such a renowned hospital system. Pre-Med club aside, I absolutely have to highlight Toyota’s WayForward Fund. Their focus is on educating the public about traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and helping community members be a supportive influence after someone gets a TBI. After completing their paid leadership program, I am now a certified Youth Health Educator. Everything I learned in the WayForward@EMU program has inspired me to change my career goal to pediatric neurology!
Many young people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
Since I’m a student in ECA, I had EMU’s resources available to me when I started the club. After telling my co-founders my plan, finding some advisors, and getting the word out, we had a club! A really important thing I did was doing a deep dive on local and online resources to help me realistically plan activities and goals for the club. Networking is equally important, because that helped us get six guest speakers to present to our club, and over five more lined up for the fall!
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
I’ve already talked about my parents’ influence in my life, but all of my friends were equally supportive. I co-founded our Pre-Med club with my two friends, Minha Ashraf and Avery Kelly and a lot more were founding members. The three of us all love medicine, and we wanted to connect with others about what we love, and show others some love. My Pre-Med advisors, Mr. Shane Emery and Mrs. Pooja Uikey, have been absolutely amazing in guiding me, ever since starting a club was just an idea that we never thought would come to fruition in this way. Every one of my ECA teachers has been an immense help on this journey, and I don’t know where I’d be without them. I love you guys! I also need to acknowledge Sondrea Singleton, Elizabeth Garaba, and everyone else in WayForward@EMU! Their help (along with Senior Media Relations Specialist, Brittany Mobley’s) has been invaluable to my academic and professional journey. Chrissy Grzadinski’s and the wonderful infusion team have been so considerate and loving to our students that shadowed them. Every single day, they were upbeat and ready to teach. Our students will carry these lessons with them for the rest of their lives. Thank you all so much, and we thank you for your service!
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Equity: Healthcare shouldn’t be a privilege, it’s a right. Everyone should have access to proper healthcare, and we can all pitch in to help.
Education: Programs like Toyota’s WayForward@EMU are essential because they focus on giving underserved communities the education they need to make health conscious decisions and raise awareness.
Engagement: People should be involved in their own treatment and health journey. By removing the stigma against seeking help to better yourself and the lives of those around you, everyone will benefit.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
- Know your why: It’s important to reflect and ask yourself why you’re really doing something. If you’re trying to achieve something just so other people will be impressed, you need to reevaluate.
- You don’t need a “One Track Mind” all the time: It’s okay to do things that are unrelated to your goal. I thought my life had to be medicine, medicine, medicine, but limiting my hobbies and interests wasn’t healthy. I like doing other things like going out to eat, reading, and playing tennis or basketball.
- Relax: Remember that you don’t have to solve world hunger by 11:59. You have a lot of time before you get that far. That brings me to my next point-
- Good things take time: If you want something to really be good, you can’t rush it. Like my English teacher told me, you have to work on taking bites out of your meal over a period of time. If you eat everything all at once, you’ll get sick. (Thanks, Mr. Shapiro!)
- Get comfortable with asking for help: This is probably the one thing I’ve struggled with the most in my academic career. I felt that I had to know everything, and that asking questions outside of curiosity was “weakness”. I know this isn’t true, and that being brave enough to ask for help isn’t weakness at all. I had to admit to tons of people I needed help getting my club off the ground. And now, I can ask my professors questions in packed lecture halls with no problem! The point is, people around you want to give you the help that you need, so go ahead and ask them for it.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Do it, do it, DO IT! If you have a truly good idea, it doesn’t matter how crazy it sounds. Seriously. You want to cure cancer? That’s amazing! Start cold emailing researchers at your local hospital. You want to be a psych major to raise mental health awareness? Love it! Start an initiative at your school to help students during finals week. The point is, something small can blossom into something unbelievable. Your seed of an idea can grow into a beautiful garden, but only if you have the courage to plant it.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez!! I love how she advocates for equity in healthcare, and how she’s not afraid to advocate for people that are being ignored or overlooked by the government. We need more bold people (especially women) like her!
How can our readers follow you online?
eca_premed on Instagram!
Thank you for your time and for sharing your valuable insights!
Young Social Impact Heroes: Taryn Jones Of Eastern Michigan University was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.