Each year, the Warrior community cheers as thousands of students graduate from Wayne State. Now, a new university marketing campaign celebrates the successes many Wayne State graduates have found in the workforce.

Alongside freeways throughout Southeast Michigan, a series of billboards features recent Warrior alumni who are already making their mark with some of the most prominent companies in the world. The campaign features photos of the former students and the words “WSU to [the company they now work at],” and features such iconic companies as Ford, Google, ESPN, Rivian, DTE and the Detroit Pistons.

“These days, there are some who doubt the value of a university education,” said Michael Wright, chief of staff and vice president for marketing and communications. “This is a simple and powerful way to show that a Wayne State degree can lead to a great career. This isn't just hype. These are real people with real careers at great companies, and they started at Wayne State University.” 

A couple prominent locations of the outdoor boards are on I-94 near Vernier and near the 696 and I-275 interchange.

The initial phase of the campaign features eight alumni from various schools and colleges, most of whom graduated within the last five years.

“It’s always inspiring to see alumni who go on to become CEOs and do great things, but we wanted to show that you can be successful shortly after graduation,” said Carolyn Berry, associate vice president of marketing. “In addition to attracting new students, we hope that current students see this as motivation to continue and complete their degrees.”

The recent alumni will also be highlighted in videos, on social media, in Today@Wayne and in other communications.

The Office of Marketing and Communications worked with the various employers over a period of weeks to get the necessary permissions, and then conducted video and photo shoots during a three-day period.

If you are interested in sharing your Warrior success story, please let us know.