A passion for community health and business led Tara Yang to the Department of Life Sciences Communications (LSC), where she was able to carve a new path for herself. As a BS ’13 graduate with a degree in Life Sciences Communications, Tara has carried the knowledge and connections formed during her time at LSC into her career, leading to a Forward Award from the Wisconsin Alumni Association for her work as Chair of the Green Bay Equal Rights Commission.
Q: Can you tell us a about your educational journey?
A: When I started at UW-Madison, I was originally pursing a degree in Biology on the pre-med track. But after doing a few internships at UW-Hospital, I figured out that that environment wasn’t for me. I wanted to really focus on preventative care, specifically looking at nutrition and health, rather than the clinical side of medicine. When I started exploring different programs, LSC really spoke to me because it’s an integrated degree. I knew I was passionate about nutrition, agriculture, and business, so LSC just made sense for me.
I’m happy that I chose LSC as my major because it connected me to so many opportunities that I didn’t know would have existed. Before entering college, I thought that you take a straight path towards one career, right? But LSC opens the door to so many different opportunities’, and it’s allowed me to carve my own path.
Q: Can you tell us about your career path after graduation?
A: When I graduated, I was able to get a really good opportunity working for Organic Valley. After that, I went up to Minnesota and started working in business development. I started working with a lot of mom-and-pop small business, specifically minority-owned small business. I saw that these businesses not only struggled from a lack of resources, but a lack of access to those resources and I wanted to bridge that gap. I worked with over 30 families to help them access different partners and resources and was able to help these businesses really grow and thrive.
What about your current work in the Green Bay Area?
A: In 2019, I moved back home right before our new mayor, Eric Genrich, who is also a UW-Madison alumni, took office. I got a meeting on his calendar, and we started talking, and he and I had the same vision, there needed to be a change in our community. We understood that change can be very scary, but without change, the same people who are going through hard times and are going to continue to go through hard times. Right away, he appointment me to his Economic Development Authority Committer, where I served as chair for two terms.
After that, I was appointed as Chair of Green Bay’s first Equal Rights Commission in 2021. During that time, we saw a lot of inequality in our community. The big topics we’re looking at are housing issues and equality issues. We’re trying our best to make sure everyone is on an even playing field and creating a platform for everyone to have a voice.
Q: Where do you see LSC fitting into your current work?
A: I know it’s cliché to say, but you should be the person you wish you had when you were younger, right? LSC really opened the doors for me in that way. LSC gave me an overall view of how to integrate all my passions, from agriculture and nutrition to business and communication. The skills I learned in LSC, I still use in my work now.
A specific project that leverages my LSC degree is a recent development project with the city of Green Bay to build an “urban barn”. This will act as a community building to support small, minority owned businesses scale their produce production and potential extend their season. My experience in LSC has really given me the knowledge and experience to support these small businesses in a customized way to best suit their needs.
Q: Do you have any advice for current LSC Students?
A: My biggest piece of advice is that your degree is not just a piece of paper. It’s the knowledge you’ve gained, the classmates you’ve met and the network you’ve built along the way. Take advantage of the business and marketing classes that LSC offers and really network with your fellow students and professors. I really encourage students to lean into their passions and don’t be afraid to be the first to do something! LSC integrates so many different fields and subjects, and you can use that to break into new spaces and careers.
—
Written by: Julia Wiessing, LSC M.S. ’25
Published: November 2024