Marketing senior gains practical experience working in Australia
Payton Wilson’s first study abroad trip was to Eutin, Germany, a sister city of Lawrence. Since then, he has embraced life abroad and pursued a lucrative career nearly 9,000 miles away from KU.
Wilson is a senior marketing major and minoring in both German and Spanish. He studied German language and culture in Eutin.
During the summer of his sophomore year, Wilson moved to Sydney, Australia, to work as an intern for Leonards Advertising, the oldest ad agency in the country. He discovered this opportunity through the intern abroad program at The University of Kansas.
As an intern, Wilson was responsible for managing a handful of small clients at the agency. Since his clients were so close to the office, he had the opportunity to interact with them directly. Additionally, he managed most of the firm’s digital analytics on Facebook and in Google Ads campaigns.
Wilson was excited to use the skills he had learned in his classes in an actual business setting.
“Growing my career and seeing that the knowledge I have gotten from KU was applicable in the real world… that’s always a really good feeling,” he said.
After his first summer in Sydney, Wilson was offered a full-time position with Leonards Advertising. He declined, but opted to return for a second internship the next summer after his junior year at KU. After the summer of 2018, the company offered Wilson a salaried position and citizenship to stay in Australia. He accepted and worked for Leonards for a year.
“Having been in Australia for a short period, I knew that it was somewhere I could see myself living for the rest of my life,” Wilson explained. “I also thought that taking a year off to work in my industry and gain experience would give me more insight and add value to my career. It allowed me to take a step back and remind myself why I fell in love with business.”
In his full-time position, Wilson served as a marketing coordinator and data analyst for the firm. He worked with the City of Sydney and some of the top private schools in the nation as well as clients in accommodations and music.
“My gap year was absolutely the most valuable experience I have ever had,” he said. “Taking time off for new opportunities or for whatever reason I feel is often shamed in American academia, however, I think it should be more widely accepted.”
Wilson returned to KU and is now about to graduate.
He believes that studying abroad is a valuable experience unlike anything else.
“It’s been incredible and I feel like I’ve grown so much as a person, especially just within the last two years, not only in my personal life and my social life, but also from an academic standpoint,” he explained. “I feel much more prepared going into the ‘real world’, so to speak, and my confidence has gone through the roof from all of my study abroad experiences.”
The future is wide open for Wilson. He is currently preparing to take the LSAT and plans to attend law school in the U.S. or Australia post-graduation.
“Finally, as a graduating senior, I want to give thanks and credit to my mom, Amy Wilson, family, and friends,” Wilson said. “Without an intricate and astounding support system, I would not be here. They have helped me through teary-eyed exams, late-night Taco Bell runs, and given me more emotional support than I could ever thank. To my mom, family, friends, and Class of 2020 — we did it!”
By Meaghan Boyd
