Life is funny. If you had asked me 10 years ago where I would be in life, I would not have guessed that I’d be working for a startup company that is the leader of the diabetes management space. My journey to Glooko has been one of many paths, all driven by the desire to help people. After taking a psychology class in college, I was hooked on the human services field. Back then, like many young adults, I graduated college unsure what to do next.
In search of my path, I joined the Peace Corps and was sent to a rural town in Ecuador, South America, to work in youth and family development. There, living in isolation and with limited resources, I learned “how to learn” so that I could accomplish my personal goals and the goals of my community. This involved a lot of trial and error, research, and YouTube videos (I now consider myself a proficient balloon animal artist!). Though I didn’t fully recognize it at the time, those 2.5 years I spent overseas offered me the greatest possible early career development experience. I developed resourcefulness, adaptability, unmeasurable strength, and creative innovation which continue to serve me today.
Fast forward about 5 years. After working in various case management and program management positions, I was introduced to Glooko by a close friend and was immediately drawn to Glooko by the fast-paced startup culture and choose-your-own-adventure feel. Glooko offered a sense of excitement that I hadn’t experienced since hopping on the plane to Ecuador.
I quickly discovered that one of the most exciting things about working for a growing startup like Glooko is the opportunity to grow with the company.
After my Glooko onboarding, I began primarily doing direct customer support – working with people with diabetes, their loved ones, and their respective care teams to support them in their use of the Glooko platform. In order to build my knowledge and skillset, I filled spare time with other interesting projects at Glooko. This not only introduced me to others within the company, but also helped me hone my skills and expand my knowledge base. Over the last 2 years at Glooko, my role has evolved several times, from customer success to partnership management, however, my underlying goal and passion remains with helping people.
As Glooko has grown, I have been lucky to gather a variety of experiences and a plethora of knowledge about Glooko, our vision, and the fast-paced diabetes space. I see the hope for the future of diabetes management, made possible by innovation and strategic partnerships with health systems, employers, health plans, device manufacturers, and leading life science companies worldwide. I also see how a small team can make a huge difference in the lives of millions of people. As I focus on the future, I look forward to playing my part in shaping the future of diabetes management, and more importantly, seeing how much the industry will accomplish through partnerships and innovation.
