Investment in CTK Senior's Growth Pays Off for Work Study Partner

Working in a professional setting as a high school freshman is a unique and valuable opportunity. But being soft-spoken and one of three employees in the office, as Marcus CTK ’25 was in his job assignment, can be intimidating. When he started at Wirtz Realty in September 2021, Marcus recalls. “If I needed help or was struggling with anything, I was reluctant to ask for help. I didn’t want to be the person that didn’t know what was going on. But now I am comfortable asking for help. My supervisors are always willing to answer my questions. I never feel like I am bothering them.” Jennifer Turner, Assistant Manager, Wirtz Realty and Anne Cunningham, General Manager, Colliers International have provided the direction and guidance that has enabled Marcus to feel comfortable, complete tasks, and ultimately share the office workload.

Jennifer Turner has worked for the Wirtz Corporation for 15 years. In her current role, she along with Anne Cunningham helps manage the 333 N. Michigan Avenue property making sure operations and tenant relations run smoothly. Jennifer has been Marcus’ primary supervisor since he started. She meets with him early on his workdays to review that day’s project list.  Every day is different, but typical tasks include scanning invoices, filing, digital record keeping, and helping with tenant events. She has made a point of rounding out his experience by providing exposure and interaction with other building departments including the front desk security and engineering. An area that Marcus has provided “a great set of eyes and ears for” is building inspections. He’s tasked with walking around the building with a worksheet, checking vacant suites and corridors to ensure all lights & doors are working, and picking up any mail or packages.  He has helped to identify what needs to be fixed, and regularly goes beyond the basics. According to Jennifer, “He’s taken on greater responsibility, and become more confident in being able to complete the assigned tasks. He’s gotten a lot better at communication and being willing to ask questions. He’s also a good self-starter.”

Anne Cunningham works for Colliers but was hired by Wirtz Realty six years ago to help manage the property and its 65 tenants alongside Jennifer. She acknowledged the value of CTK students working there, “It’s primarily just the two of us in the office, so getting their help with projects frees us up to focus on other higher priority tasks.” Both women cited the valuable professional skills that Marcus was developing in his work assignment namely time management, communication, responsibility, initiative, and computer tech skills. A lot of their work assignments require the use of Word or Excel documents, so Marcus has had to become proficient in working with those platforms.  

Marcus recognizes how far he has come in four years, saying “I got better at talking and communicating with the people I work with. I’m able to have conversations in a professional workplace. I’m better at doing the things they need me to do. I feel like I’m helping them in the office.”  His supervisors agree. Anne shared that, “It has been fun to see Marcus grow and mature over the years, and now getting ready to graduate!”  Jennifer added, “It’s been great watching him grow up and to see the way he has taken on new initiatives. And this year, he has talked about going off to college and exploring the outside world.” It was important to both Jennifer and Anne to build a rapport with Marcus by getting to know him as a person through conversations about his interests and future plans. They learned about his passion for football, where his growth as a leader and communicator led to his selection as a team captain. His supervisors are supportive of his plan to be a first-generation college student in the fall. He recently announced his college choice to be Morgan State University, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in Baltimore, Maryland where he intends to major in business management

Both of the Wirtz Realty professionals noted that they would have benefitted from the Corporate Work Study Program when they were in high school. They also recognized the positive impact it has had on both the students and them. Jennifer said. “It’s a great program that provides students with professional work experience and invests in their education and future. It also feels good to work for a company that values helping students’ futures.” Anne added, “I would highly recommend it to other companies. It is not only great to give the student the exposure to the business world but valuable for supervisors to be able to mentor high schoolers and see what they are going through.”

It is easy to see that Marcus has come a long way in his four years working at Wirtz Realty. To him, the best part of his work experience is “getting to know new people.” With dreams of a career in business and possibly real estate, his work at Wirtz Realty and the support of his supervisors have helped to provide him with a great start.