Taylor Harmon, MA'25, Anthropology and Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
Practice Manager and Director of Education, Darling Mental Health
February 4, 2026
Can you describe your career path and how it has led to your current work?
My career path has been an odd one. I did not always know I wanted to be a sex educator. In fact, for most of my adolescence and early twenties, I was training to be a theatre actress. For a long time, I thought it was the only profession that I was made for, but it also felt like too much time spent with just myself. I wanted a career that was more service oriented, so when COVID hit and drama school had to be moved online (have you ever tried to take stage combat online? I wouldn't recommend it), I figured it was a good time to explore other options. I took a class in Human Sexuality and never looked back. I ended up creating my own major as an undergraduate (Sexuality, Gender, and Reproductive Health) at Indiana University, which has now been transformed into a fully integrated major for public health students. I did this while working at my school's Student Health Center as a Health Educator and as a research assistant at the Kinsey Institute. All of those experiences went toward my certification as an AASECT (American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists) Certified Sex Educator title, which is ultimately what brought me to the job I am in now. Working at a sex therapy and gender affirming care clinic that is committed to decolonizing mental and sexual healthcare, I took with me all that I learned at Brandeis in the Anthropology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies departments as well. The thinkers, theories, and practices I engaged with while earning my master’s degree have been central to the role I am in now, allowing me to provide humanistic and culturally-informed care and education to a wide range of people with different lived experiences.
What does a typical day/week look like for you in this position?
My days vary quite a bit in my position, which is one thing I love about it! I do a lot of commuting both to our office in Western Massachusetts and to various universities or community centers around both Boston and Worcester to teach requested workshops. My virtual days may consist of more administrative-heavy work -- such as processing insurance claims, managing HR compliance, or networking -- or they can look like a full day of writing blog posts responding to questions about sexual/reproductive health and gender, creating curriculum for future workshops, meeting 1:1 with clients, or translating public health information to accessible infographics for our social media. This position is great because it allows me to do the work that I love, but also to grow in administrative skills that are transferable to countless positions.
What skills from your Brandeis degree have you found most valuable in your current work?
I always had difficulty with eloquently organizing and presenting my ideas to people. My mind moves a mile a minute, and it can be difficult to pin down exactly what my focus or aim is and to communicate that to others in a way that is understandable. Having Dr. Brian Horton, in particular, as a professor and mentor was paramount to my growth in this area, and it helps me in academic, professional, and interpersonal situations. Winning 3MT last year was a testament to this growth, and I could not have done it without people like him.
What advice do you have for current students as they embark on their career exploration or job search?
The job market is hard right now, and it is easy to get discouraged. There were many times that I felt like I was doing something wrong, or that I did not do enough to prepare myself for a "big girl" job. But it is important to keep in mind that when it comes to the job search process, it is not always personal, and oftentimes rejection is just painfully disguised redirection. Applying for jobs can feel like a marathon, not a sprint. Put your name out there and advocate for yourself as much as you can, but also allow yourself breaks. You never know how close you are to getting exactly what you want, so next time you feel like giving up or giving in, push yourself just a tiny bit further.