Despite ongoing challenges in light of COVID-19, the agency’s unique model attracts top talent from across the country and welcomes them to Charlotte, N.C., office

Wray Ward has selected nine students from universities across the nation to participate in its annual FORM internship program in 2021. FORM is a paid, eight-week, full-time summer internship in which talented interns work with their peers to conceptualize, develop and present an integrated marketing campaign to an agency client. They will join the rest of the Wray Ward team in-person in the agency’s newly constructed office, which opened late last year.

FORM interns, representing nine distinct service areas, work within the agency’s departments and as a team on real client work. This year, their work will benefit one of Wray Ward’s EmpoWWer service-grant recipients, Girls Rock Charlotte, a nonprofit group that seeks to amplify the voices of girls, women and gender diverse youth and adults through music, film, creativity and collaboration. The interns will experience the inner workings of an inspired marketing agency while honing their specific skills and applying what they’ve learned in school to effect change in the Charlotte community.

Wray Ward will welcome the following FORM participants in June:

• Video: Kyra Arendt, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee
• Digital Media: Mitch Wolverton, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
• Photography: Eli Hausman, Montana State University
• Project Management / Client Engagement: Sarah Paden Mobley, Furman University
• Design: Ida Osterman, Queens University
• Public Relations/Content: Alyssa Malia Washington, Winthrop University
• Insights: Brooke Spencer, University of Alabama
• Copywriting: Nina Procopio, St. John’s University
• UX Design: Marina Gianakopoulos, University of Virginia

“The talent pool that feeds this program isn’t just impressive — it’s inspiring,” said Wray Ward President and Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Appleby. “Our candidates this year expressed an interest in a professional environment that seeks to elevate its local community and is, inherently, socially conscious. Working as part of our EmpoWWer program is a perfect opportunity. They’re interested in doing well, but also in doing ‘good’, and we’re so excited to welcome them to the Wray Ward family this summer.”

Launched in 2017 as an evolution of the agency’s traditional internship experiences, FORM returns this summer after the program was put on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency’s new 30,000 square-foot office with its large and small workstations, collaboration spaces and outdoor areas along with the agency’s safety procedures allowed the interns to opt-in for an in-office experience. This year’s program begins June 1, and the application period for FORM 2022 will open this fall.

To learn more about FORM, visit https://form.wrayward.com/.