Taylor Reynolds addressed students last Wednesday about her work at Continuum, a leading innovation company in Newton.

“Our satisfaction lies in tackling new-to-the-world challenges and executing growth through innovation,” the company’s website says. Continuum has invented such products as the Swiffer, a popular house cleaning product, as well as the Reebok Pump— a huge hit in the mid-to-late 1980s.

As a college student at Northwestern University, Taylor also helped found fruit buddi, a compartmentalized shopping accessory that attaches to a shopping cart and engages young children with fruit selection.

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Though the start up ultimately failed, Taylor’s passion for social justice corresponds perfectly with Continuum’s goal—making things that are impactful in people’s life. The Gator encourages students to take Taylor’s message to heart, and to test use one’s creativity and entrepreneurial spirit to make a positive difference.

“[Continuum] has earned more than 200 innovation and design awards and holds more than 330 patents,” wrote Head of School Judy Guild in the Oct. 24 weekly bulletin. “One of the most notable products in their portfolio is the Swiffer. It was clear in Ms. Reynold’s presentation that she is passionate about people’s problems and their interaction with their environment, which in turn drives her design practice. The students were engaged and rapidly fired questions in the final twenty minutes of her presentation. Her work sparked their curiosity, and Ms. Reynolds complimented the quality of our students’ questions.”