Class of 2019 Success Stories: BGSU graduate David Chalupsky credits College of Business for landing job at Google

Business Career Accelerator, four internships help prepare student for starting career

By Bob Cunningham ’18

David Chalupsky had four internships while attending Bowling Green State University and spent countless hours at the Business Career Accelerator preparing for his post-collegiate career.

He is graduating from BGSU with a Bachelor of Science in business with a specialization in marketing.

Now, Chalupsky is set to begin his job as an associate account strategist with Google in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 

When Chalupsky was in high school, he knew wanted to pursue a business degree with a marketing tie-in. After he visited the Bowling Green campus, he was sold.

“I really fell in love with the small-town feel of things,” said Chalupsky, who grew up in Liberty Township, a suburb north of Cincinnati. “A college town was something I was looking for. I really didn’t want to be in a big city.

“I got to meet some advisers in the College of Business who were super helpful, talking about all of the internship opportunities BGSU offered. The campus visit allowed me to check off every box on my list, and I was able to get a good scholarship to come here. That all helped out and everything fell into place.” 

Distinguished Teaching Professor Dwayne Gremler was one of Chalupsky’s most influential faculty members.

“I took him for two of my classes,” he said. “He’s been a great mentor for me, especially in the field of marketing. His knowledge and expertise, as well as his passion for the students he teaches, always really stood out to me. I was always comfortable going to his office to ask any questions. He gives real feedback and it made me a better marketer because of it.”

Marketing is a keen interest for Chalupsky because he enjoys meeting new people, which in turn provides so many business opportunities.  

“My dad is a salesman, so I kind of had that business background in my family,” he said. “I got to pick his brain about what I should get into as far as a career path. Especially in sales and marketing, you’re a problem solver and someone who creates value for the clients you’re serving — that’s something I’ve always thought about as a marketer.”

Chalupsky got his first internship in fall 2016 during his sophomore year through BGSU’s EXPO Job and Internship Fair. It was with Speedway LLC, an Ohio-based convenience store and gas station chain. He was a regional operations manager from November 2016 to August 2017. Then, he worked as a marketing and promotions intern with the BGSU Athletics Department for a semester. 

He followed that experience by landing an internship in summer 2018 with Johnson & Johnson’s medical-device division, Ethicon Inc., in Cincinnati. He recently finished serving as a sales and marketing manager for BGSU Conference and Event Services.  

Through all of his internships, one of the biggest resources Chalupsky relied on was the college’s Business Career Accelerator.

“Tom Siebenaler and everyone who works there helped me throughout the last four years with updating my resume, preparing for interviews and getting those job opportunities,” said Chalupsky, who also credited his fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon, for providing leadership opportunities. “Through the Business Career Accelerator, I learned how to speak professionally to employers and I was able to sharpen all of the skills I obtained during my four years.”  

All of his hard work outside of the classroom paid off when he accepted the job offer.

“David is an excellent, motivated student who utilized our office services exactly as intended,” said Siebenaler, associate director of the Business Career Accelerator. “We saw him nearly daily and watched him progress throughout the interview process, gaining confidence along the way. David was not afraid to ask questions and realized he could contact us multiple times a day without ‘bothering’ us. That's why we're here — to help students along their career journey.”

He said his chance to start his career right after graduation was a “dream come true.”

Chalupsky said his parents have been his biggest supporters throughout his collegiate career, and they couldn’t have been happier for him.

“They were extremely excited,” he said of having a job lined up. “They obviously were a big source of support throughout my four years at BGSU — they were really with me every step of the way. That really meant a lot to me.”

Chalupsky said he was a little nervous when he first arrived in Bowling Green because he didn’t know anyone, but that soon changed once he got involved in campus life as a freshman.

“As long as you stay involved, your time here is going to go by really fast, but you’ll enjoy every second of it,” he said, challenging new students to follow his path. “I’m very thankful to BGSU for offering so many opportunities for its students. That’s definitely why BGSU will always be home for me. I also wanted to thank the College of Business because I feel like the professors really paid attention to the students and you really build those one-on-one relationships that you wouldn’t get at a bigger school.”