From internship to manager in training to branch manager, Taylor Nishimura '20 has glided from one to the next like a driver accelerating into a higher gear.
Nishimura got her internship with Enterprise Rent-a-Car while she was still at 鶹Ӱ, majoring in business with a concentration in marketing. Just months out of school, she had finished the company's management trainee phase of her work and was preparing to take a corporate test that will let her advance become an assistant manager. She's since worked her way up to branch manager.
The internship gave her a head start.
“It was a preview of the duties that management trainees learn,” she said. “I am so thankful for my internship because it brought me on this journey of endless opportunities.”
When deciding what college to attend, and an exercise science (now kinesiology) program were priorities for Nishimura, because at the time she wanted to be a physical therapist. Originally from Hilo, Hawai'i, she also focused on West Coast schools to stay closer to home. She knew family and friends who had attended Pacific and had positive experiences at the school. A trip to Oregon for a softball tournament got her thinking more seriously about attending Pacific.
“It was breathtaking,” she recalls fondly about visiting Pacific. “There were so many students from Hawai'i on campus … I had a feeling that this was the school for me.” While touring the campus, she also met with the softball coach.
As a student, Nishimura transitioned to a business major. She chose to concentrate in marketing because it combined her desire to be creative and enjoyed leveraging technology to advertise.
“Marketing is more than just advertising. Advertising is just a fraction of what marketers do,” she said. “They also analyze performance by monitoring where customers are dropping off in the conversion funnel to improve.”
Nishimura found the real value of a 鶹Ӱ education within the faculty.
“My professors helped me understand the course context a lot more than just reading the textbook. Classes are very interactive, and I was constantly challenged by the material.”
On campus, Nishimura was an active member of Nā Haumāna O Hawai‘i, where she performed in the Lū‘au. She also participated in NCAA Division III athletics as a member. She credits faculty for helping her balance business school and extra-curricular activities. “They understood that I might miss a class or two for softball, and allowed me to take a missed quiz/test in other ways."
Nishimura’s final year at Pacific was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the internship with Enterprise helped her move easily into her career.
At Pacific, “the four years flew by,” she said. Even with the cold winters, leaving home, and the sudden changes due to the pandemic, Nishimura says she wouldn’t change a thing.