[{"id":417,"date":"2026-04-24T14:44:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T14:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/?p=417"},"modified":"2026-04-28T15:28:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T15:28:27","slug":"student-spotlight-gail-greens-impactful-year-at-clemson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/2026\/04\/24\/student-spotlight-gail-greens-impactful-year-at-clemson\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Spotlight: Gail Green\u2019s Impactful Year at Clemson"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Laine Brennan, Marketing Major, UPIC Intern for the Department of Marketing, Class of 2026<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Gail Green<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Even in just one academic year at Clemson, Gail Green made a lasting impact by fully embracing opportunities to connect, lead, and grow within the university community. As a graduate student in the M.S. Marketing program, she stepped beyond the classroom to serve as a Senator in the Graduate Student Government, building relationships with fellow students and local leaders while contributing to meaningful campus initiatives. From hands-on coursework with community partners to pursuing her passion for research, Gail\u2019s experience reflects a strong sense of purpose and curiosity. Learn more about her Clemson journey, the experiences that shaped her, and her advice for future students below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. What have you been involved in on campus during your time at Clemson?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was only here for one academic school year, yet I found myself wanting to get involved somehow, to feel a bit more connected, especially as someone who did not attend Clemson for my undergrad. I was not sure how I would get involved initially, until one day in class when Professor Cauley shared information about the Graduate Student Government. I was intrigued by the opportunity to have an impact on campus while also connecting with other graduate students outside the marketing department. As a member of GSG, I served as a Senator representing M.S. Marketing graduate students. During my time, I voted on legislation, had opportunities to meet local leaders, including the Associate Vice President and Dean of Students at Clemson and the Assistant City Administrator, and served on the Marketing and Communications Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. What\u2019s one experience at Clemson that has had the biggest impact on you? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working with Clemson Community Care through the M.S. Marketing program\u2019s Consumer Behavior course, taught by Professor Papenfus, has had the biggest impact on me. For this project, we were challenged with creating marketing strategies to increase the volunteer efforts and donations from Gen Z. The project we completed during the semester was incredibly impactful, not only for Karen Carter, the executive director of the CCC, but also for students, who now better understand the local resources in Clemson that support the community in times of need. This project has inspired me to dedicate more time to important causes and to be an advocate for those in need, even if that means volunteering an hour of my time. The project also gave me a stronger understanding of marketing research across different contexts. In previous classes, we normally do market research for a business, big or small, but changing the perspective to a non-profit was challenging but incredibly rewarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. How has the MS in Marketing program prepared you for life after graduation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The M.S. Marketing program has provided me with a very strong research assistantship and advice from professors in the field I aspire to be a part of. Coming into the program, I wanted to pursue a Ph.D. in Marketing with a focus on consumer behavior and psychology. Knowing this, I reached out to Danny Weathers and Scott Swain to see if there were any opportunities for support research on campus. They were able to provide me with a research assistantship supporting Sayan Gupta in the Department of Marketing, as well as Darren Linvill and Camille Saucier as a Knight Fellow at the Media Forensics. This opportunity shaped the start of the program for me, allowing me to pursue research early on and eventually leverage that as I applied to Ph.D. programs. While I already had a strong background in research processes, this research opportunity further developed my skill set, leading to my acceptance at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to start my Ph.D. this spring. The marketing department is full of very strong mentors and advocates for higher education who have offered me great advice; to name a few who have helped me along the way: Lisa Beeler, Annette Tower, and Angeline Scheinbaum were incredibly helpful and insightful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. What advice would you give to undergrad marketing students?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would tell undergrad marketing students to find their niche and pursue their dreams. One of the things I have learned in this program is how important it is for businesses, as well as students, to really differentiate themselves from the competition. The job market is tough, and master\u2019s programs are getting increasingly more competitive. The best thing to do is to build up your skills, find what you are passionate about, and really understand your unique selling proposition! Also, believe in yourself, you can truly do anything you put your mind to. I had no idea I would be pursuing my doctorate just two years ago. I thought I would be an economist or market researcher in a big city, but now I know academia is the path for me. And even if you are not sure what you want to do, just put yourself out there and connect and surround yourself with those you aspire to be like.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Laine Brennan, Marketing Major, UPIC Intern for the Department of Marketing, Class of 2026 Even in just one academic year at Clemson, Gail Green made a lasting impact by fully embracing opportunities to connect, lead, and grow within the university community. As a graduate student in the M.S. Marketing program, she stepped beyond the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[11],"coauthors":[4],"class_list":["post-417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-studenthighlights"],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":412,"date":"2026-04-13T15:48:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T15:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/?p=412"},"modified":"2026-04-28T15:27:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T15:27:58","slug":"spring-26-post-graduation-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/2026\/04\/13\/spring-26-post-graduation-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring \u201926 Post Graduation Plans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Name<\/strong><\/td>Post Grad Plans<\/strong><\/td>City\/State<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Alex Martin<\/td>Indianapolis Colts – Ticket Sales and Services Intern<\/td>Indianapolis, IN<\/td><\/tr>
Lily Driggs<\/td>Oracle – Sales Development Representative<\/td>Nashville, TN<\/td><\/tr>
Isabella Greco<\/td>Prophet – Strategy Associate<\/td>Atlanta, GA<\/td><\/tr>
Maggie Hughes<\/td>KVH Marketing<\/td>Greenville, SC<\/td><\/tr>
Laine Brennan<\/td>Abercrombie & Fitch – Merchandising LDP<\/td>Columbus, OH<\/td><\/tr>
Vic Pumo<\/td>Upstate Beverage Consultants<\/td>Greenville, SC<\/td><\/tr>
Hayden Byrum<\/td>Disney College Program<\/td>Orlando, FL<\/td><\/tr>
Bailey Darcus<\/td>San Francisco 49ers – Influencer Marketing and Flag Football Fellowship<\/td>San Francisco, CA<\/td><\/tr>
Sarah Parker<\/td>The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company – Marketing Assistant<\/td>College Park, MD<\/td><\/tr>
Jules Kucik<\/td>New Wave Endo<\/td>Bethesda, MD<\/td><\/tr>
Rett Thompkins<\/td>Cintas<\/td>Columbia, SC<\/td><\/tr>
Ella Curran<\/td>Lockheed Martin<\/td>Fort Worth, TX<\/td><\/tr>
Ava Jackson<\/td>Goldin Solutions – Media Strategist<\/td>New York, NY<\/td><\/tr>
Emerson Chetwood<\/td>The Cason Group<\/td>Columbia, SC<\/td><\/tr>
Jacob Barnette<\/td>Giard & Co – Director of Portfolio Partners<\/td>Greenville, SC<\/td><\/tr>
Leah Rochford<\/td>Abercrombie and Fitch – Merchandising LDP<\/td>Columbus, OH<\/td><\/tr>
Fionna Sortman<\/td>Fisher Investments<\/td>Tampa, Florida<\/td><\/tr>
Avery Schmidt<\/td>San Francisco 49ers<\/td>San Francisco<\/td><\/tr>
Quianna Edwards<\/td>Clemson M.S Marketing<\/td>Clemson, SC<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Name Post Grad Plans City\/State Alex Martin Indianapolis Colts – Ticket Sales and Services Intern Indianapolis, IN Lily Driggs Oracle – Sales Development Representative Nashville, TN Isabella Greco Prophet – Strategy Associate Atlanta, GA Maggie Hughes KVH Marketing Greenville, SC Laine Brennan Abercrombie & Fitch – Merchandising LDP Columbus, OH Vic Pumo Upstate Beverage Consultants […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[11],"coauthors":[4],"class_list":["post-412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-studenthighlights"],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":410,"date":"2026-04-09T15:57:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T15:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/?p=410"},"modified":"2026-04-09T15:58:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T15:58:01","slug":"bridging-classroom-and-community-how-clemsons-ms-marketing-students-drive-impact-through-small-business-partnerships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/marketing\/2026\/04\/09\/bridging-classroom-and-community-how-clemsons-ms-marketing-students-drive-impact-through-small-business-partnerships\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridging Classroom and Community: How Clemson\u2019s MS Marketing Students Drive Impact Through Small Business Partnerships"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Laine Brennan, Marketing Major, UPIC Intern for the Department of Marketing, Class of 2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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At Clemson University\u2019s Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business, the Master of Science in Marketing program is designed to go beyond theory, equipping students with the analytical tools and real-world experience necessary to solve complex marketing challenges. One of the program\u2019s most impactful components is its collaboration with the Clemson Region of the South Carolina Small Business Development Centers (SC SBDC), a partnership that connects graduate students in Professor Michele Cauley\u2019s MKT8700 Market Research Practicum with local businesses in need of strategic marketing support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through this collaboration, students gain hands-on experience while contributing meaningful value to South Carolina\u2019s economic landscape. For small businesses, particularly those without dedicated marketing resources, the partnership provides access to fresh insights, data-driven strategies, and innovative solutions. For students, it offers an immersive opportunity to apply classroom knowledge and market research skills in dynamic, real-world settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Partnership with Purpose<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For more than four decades, the SC SBDC has supported entrepreneurs across the state through consulting, education, and access to critical resources. As a center within Clemson University\u2019s Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business, and part of a statewide consortium of partner universities, it connects academic expertise with the practical needs of South Carolina\u2019s small business community. This partnership not only supports business growth but also creates meaningful opportunities for experiential learning, allowing students to engage in applied research and real-world problem-solving alongside entrepreneurs. Together, this work advances South Carolina\u2019s economic development while helping small businesses create opportunity, strengthen communities, and transform lives.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within the MS Marketing program, this partnership takes shape through client-based projects in which student teams work directly with small businesses in Professor Cauley\u2019s year-long Practicum course. This academic year alone, students will have served close to 20 small business clients. These engagements allow students to tackle real marketing challenges while developing professional skills in communication, strategy, and execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cauley states, \u201cOur MS Marketing program is structured to provide our students with experiential, data-driven learning to ensure that they are not only well positioned for the evolving marketplace but also capable of making immediate contributions to organizations in our state. By working alongside the Clemson Region SC SBDC, our students are active participants in strengthening local economies and supporting entrepreneurial success, one of Clemson University\u2019s strategic pillars.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Case in Point: Supporting Vansco, Inc.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One recent example of this collaboration in action is a student team\u2019s work with Vansco, Inc., a Greenwood, South Carolina-based manufacturer specializing in custom electrical wire harnesses and cable assemblies. As a business operating in the B2B space, Vansco faced unique challenges in refining its marketing strategy and strengthening its digital presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Clemson MS Marketing team, composed of Gail Green (account executive), Lexi Hanushek (operations), Ryan Grant (market research), and Sarah Goldstein (team lead), worked closely with Vansco to develop a comprehensive marketing approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 While each member held a defined role, the team operated collaboratively, supporting one another across tasks and ensuring a cohesive final product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their work focused on several key areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n