From Krogers and corporate America to higher education at Taylor University, Kate Blyberg, a new marketing professor, took a leap of faith when she accepted the job at Taylor.
Kate is a Taylor alum who graduated in 2012 with a degree in psychology and a minor in marketing. Her passion for understanding people and serving them through goods and services led her to work for 15 years in the corporate world in various leadership roles.
Kate had her own personal goals for her career in the marketing industry. She had a stable career, but during one of the biggest projects of her life, she felt God say to her, “You don’t want what you think you want.”
When Jody Hirschy, Hodson dean of the Cornwall School of Business & Leadership, proposed the position of marketing professor to Kate, it was not an idea she immediately jumped on. She said that she went through a wrestling match with God about it.
“All the reasons you push back on things, I couldn't come up with a single Godly answer,” Kate said.
As she tussled with this decision, she felt God tell her that if she took this first step, even if it is hard abandoning such a stable career with a promising future, he would handle the rest. That is when she decided to take a leap of faith.
Kate and her husband, Derrick Blyberg who is also a Taylor alumnus and works as assistant sports information director at Taylor, moved from Crown Point, Indiana to Upland. The hardest part of this transition has been working out the logistics and having to start from scratch in a new place, Derrick said.
“I would just say the biggest struggle is being comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Derrick said.
At Taylor, Kate has really enjoyed being able to be open about her faith at her workplace. She summarized her calling with one phrase:
“Equip, empower and deploy prepared professional and excellent servant-leaders.”
She feels like she can more intentionally exercise her calling because of the environment she works in.
Kate is excited for the challenge this new season at Taylor will bring her. As she navigates a new field, she loves how she can live out her mission at a crucial stage of many students, before they head into their professional fields.
“I want to do everything I can to fan their flame,” she said.
Derrick also hopes that she will have a peace of mind knowing that she is in the right place at the right time.
Kate said that even as a student, it took her time to appreciate Taylor. For all the students wondering if Taylor is the right place for them, she said to give God a shot.
“If you are abiding, you are in the Word, and you are pursuing the face of Yahweh, you are not lost,” Kate said.
Derrick also said it’s important to be open to new opportunities, even if they don’t make sense.
Kate’s full circle journey back to Taylor is a testament to how God’s plans prevail, and how they can be sweeter than we can ever imagine. Our human minds have limited comprehension, but God plans with eternity in mind. This new season is full of unknowns for the Blybergs, but there is excitement in the midst of the nervousness because of their faith in God and trust in his nature.
