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Name: Allisa Schuller ’19
Major: Business Administration – Marketing Concentration
Minor(s): Accounting and Religion
Hometown: Mansfield, Ohio
Experience: OWU Connection grant-supported internships, including with Goodman Media International in New York City and Spark Foundry in Seattle
Schuller will graduate a semester early in December and then will be off to Seattle to work for Spark Foundry, where she was offered a full-time position with the global media agency. This offer followed a successful summer internship working on projects for Starbucks, REI (Recreational Equipment Inc), AAA, and others.
What hands-on experience did you gain at Ohio Wesleyan?
“Considering this was my fifth internship, I feel like I have had so much experience! I worked as a bank teller coming into my freshman year, and that kind of fueled my love for my accounting minor.
“My sophomore year, I was the marketing intern for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware County, which was so rewarding.
“The summer going into my junior year, I worked at Goodman Media International with alumnus Tom Goodman ’76. The university funded me with a Theory-to-Practice Grant (‘Marketing in the Big Apple’), and I really believe this internship fueled what I wanted to do for my future career. It was an amazing experience.
“My junior year, I worked with the Woltemade Center on their website design, and that really sparked my creative side. I also worked for Clay Creative in Delaware as a marketing intern for experience in marketing research.
“Lastly, this past summer, I worked for Spark Foundry. … The university funded me through a Theory-to-Practice Grant (‘A Spark Found(ry) in Seattle’). By having so many experiences, I think every one led me to what I really wanted to do, which was what Spark Foundry offered. … After graduation I will be working for Spark on the REI account, which was actually my dream job, so I kind of feel like this isn’t real sometimes!”
How has The OWU Connection impacted your future?
“I feel like everything I have been interested in, The OWU Connection program was always so supportive. I pay for my own schooling, textbooks, etc., so when I received these (out-of-state internship) offers I was genuinely worried that I wouldn't be able to accept them due to money issues.
“OWU has supported me, funded me, and cheered me on when I really needed them most. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without those Theory-to-Practice Grants and the support I have received from this school.”
What are some favorite moments from your experiences?
“Is everything an answer? Because I feel like it should be. My coworkers would always tell me that I was too happy coming to work, because I was just so excited to get back into the campaigns I was working on the day before.
“I met lifelong friends, and created some (if not the) best experiences of my life. A whole new world was opened up for me, as cheesy as that sounds.
“My parents would always tell me that the world is my oyster, but OWU really made that dream a reality. I loved everything about the experiences and memories I created. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”
What professors have had the biggest impact on your OWU experience?
“Professors Dan Charna and Glenn Bryan have supported me in almost everything and anything I have done. They have given me so much confidence, advice and have showed me what it is to truly be passionate about your career. They are not only the best professors I have ever had, but I also think they are some of the best people I have ever met.
“When people ask me what I will miss about OWU, I always say my professors (specifically those two) because they have become such a big part of my life.”
How did OWU alumni help you in your journey?
“My summer in New York I connected with Tom Goodman, and he was absolutely wonderful and full of life. A great entrepreneur I may add!
“My summer in Seattle, I connected with Tracie Winbigler ’87, and she is truly a gem of a person. She helped me find this internship.
“I remember going to (OWU staff member) Megan Ellis and telling her my dream job would be working for REI. She then connected me with Tracie, and we really hit it off! Tracie then connected me with different people on the REI campus, who then connected me with Spark Foundry.
“I interviewed at Spark when I went to Seattle over spring break on another Theory-to-Practice trip with (Accounting) Professor Justin Breidenbach. When I moved to Seattle for the summer, Tracie and I became fast friends. We ran races, hiked, and I was also part of the West Seattle Running Club, which she was a part of as well!”
Why did you choose to attend Ohio Wesleyan?
“I knew I wanted a small school, but I wasn’t sure where I wanted to be. When I got accepted into OWU, I also got in the Honors Program and then the Economic Management Fellowship Program, so it was a ‘no-brainer.’ I absolutely loved this campus, and there was really no other competition.”