Brand awareness

Marshall Ward graduated from Wright State in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

If you’re wondering about the value of college internships, check in with Wright State University marketing alumnus Marshall Ward.

As a student at Wright State, Ward interned with Wright State University Athletics, Hohman Plating and Wright-Patt Credit Union.

“My internships benefited me because they enabled me to see what the real business world was like and get hands-on experience so that upon graduation I was prepared,” he said.

Ward worked as a marketing intern at Wright Patt Credit Union in 2021.

“It was my favorite internship because they truly approached it as a learning experience and let me choose what projects I thought would benefit myself the most since I knew what career path I was looking for,” he said.

After graduating in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, a minor in economics and a certificate in business analytics, Ward landed a job at ACCO Brands, one of the world’s largest suppliers of business, consumer and academic products. He works as an associate product manager for the Xyron and Derwent brands, doing marketing, product management and data analysis.

“The most challenging thing about the job is learning all the different products and trying to become an expert on them so that I can correctly market them,” he said. “The most gratifying thing about the job is being on a team where they are very supportive and also seeing the impact of our products on consumers.”

“Marshall made a positive impact immediately, and we are extremely grateful to have him on this unstoppable team,” said Taylor Conway, product manager who serves as Ward’s supervisor.

Ward grew up in the southwestern Ohio city of Hillsboro, graduating from Hillsboro High School in 2018.

He said he was attracted to Wright State by its highly respected Raj Soin College of Business and developed an interest in marketing his sophomore year, impressed by the power of marketing on consumers.

“The highlight of my time at Wright State was meeting lifelong friends and creating relationships that will last forever,” he said.

Ward said Wright State prepared him for success by encouraging participation in career learning as well as offering résumé feedback and job interview preparation.

“This was something I utilized, and it helped me tremendously,” he said.

When he’s not working, Ward enjoys hunting with Burrow, his German Shorthaired Pointer.