Taylor Carnes leverages OHIO degree as a network weaver and community builder

Taylor (Holschuh) Carnes had her sights set on college on the coast and a major in marine biology, but ultimately decided she didn’t want to be so far away from family. She chose to stay in her community and attend Ohio University Chillicothe. Now she is a cornerstone of the Chillicothe community where she is the agent/owner at Shelter Insurance and helps build community through her service on several non-profit boards.

“Family kept me here in Chillicothe and family also got me through college,” Carnes said.

She first earned an associate of applied business in business management technology in 2016 before completing her bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a minor in communication, in 2018.

Carnes enjoyed her classes at OHIO Chillicothe and as a student at OHIO Chillicothe, she discovered that she enjoyed working with people.

Mid-way through her college career she transitioned to mostly online classes so that she could begin her career in insurance. Insurance was not an industry that Carnes sought out, but it found her. A message from a State Farm Insurance recruiter piqued her interest and she took the necessary courses and training, got her license, and began working for State Farm in 2014. She spent four years working as an agent for State Farm Insurance before becoming an owner/agent herself.

“I enjoyed it and I've been doing it ever since,” Carnes said.

She appreciates the variety of her job and the opportunity to learn something new every day. Working as an insurance agent means she encounters new questions and situations every day and that keeps her engaged with her work. Carnes especially enjoys the challenge of figuring out how best to help her customers.

“No one day is the same,” she said. “Every day brings something that you can't predict. I still learn something new almost every day. It feels good knowing that I'm going to be there on people's worst days and hopefully their best days, too,” Carnes said.

Carnes said her experience at OHIO Chillicothe helped prepare her for her career as she learned valuable communication skills, figured out how to handle the workload of classes, and established connections in the community with the help of her professors. Her business classes helped her learn how to work collaboratively and solve real-world problems. Today, the classes she most remembers are those that challenged her the most, whether it was a business class or a public speaking class.

Everyone needs someone to help inspire them, support them, and encourage them. For Carnes, that person was her mother Shelley Holschuh, who earned two degrees at Ohio University, taking classes at several regional campuses. Carnes still benchmarks her success by her mother’s achievements and hopes to earn her master’s degree one day.

As she reflects on her journey from college to career, Carnes advises students to make connections and build their networks as they prepare for their next steps. She volunteers for the Life Ready program, a free eight-week life and professional skill development program for teens and young adults, ages 15 to 23 which was started by Jade Berry, owner of The Stack.

“One of the biggest things that I tell these the young adults that come through that program is to stay in contact when you make a connection with a community member or business,” Carnes said. “Utilize any connection you can make.”

The connections she made through Ohio University Chillicothe and through her work have helped Carnes develop her career and to become engaged in her community. She serves as a board member with several local non-profit organizations.

She admits she has a hard time saying no and may sometimes over-extend herself, but she is heavily involved in the community because she cares about her community and has built so many strong connections.

“You can go to work every day and not be connected to your community, but I think being able to know how to take those steps outside of your career and actually be an engaged member in your community is important,” Carnes said.

Carnes serves as vice president of EPIC (Empowering Young Professionals in Chillicothe), a group launched by the Chillicothe Chamber of Commerce several years ago to promote a community that attracts and retains young professionals in the Ross County and Chillicothe area. EPIC focuses on connecting individuals and the community through social events, professional and personal development, and charitable endeavors.

“I choose to be a member of EPIC because of my desire to do my part in the growth of Chillicothe," Carnes said. "I would love to see Chillicothe grow and be somewhere people are eager to plant their roots and raise a family."