• Marathon Petroleum hosted more than 100 seventh grade students from Liberty-Benton Local Schools in Findlay, Ohio, for Career Exploration Day.
• Students met with employees from various careers, including Engineering, Law, Information Technology, and Trades like transport driver and diesel mechanic to learn about the education and job requirements.
• Teachers shared that students left motivated and inspired to work hard and make good decisions now for their future.

More than 100 seventh grade students from Liberty-Benton Local Schools visited Marathon Petroleum’s headquarters in Findlay, Ohio, for Career Exploration Day. Employees from Marathon Petroleum highlighted the many different careers available within the company and what students can do now to be successful in the future.

“Students were able to see a diverse set of career paths, presented by people who were excited about and successful in their jobs, which gave them the opportunity to walk away with motivation and vision to make wise decisions now for their future,” said Christy Cramner, math teacher at Liberty-Benton. “As a teacher who is passionate about making learning authentic and meaningful to our students, the career day that Marathon provided Liberty-Benton’s seventh graders was an invaluable experience.”

“Students were able to see a diverse set of career paths, presented by people who were excited about and successful in their jobs, which gave them the opportunity to walk away with motivation and vision to make wise decisions now for their future.”

Exploring career opportunities

Students selected their top three career interests out of the nine career offerings. The groups visited with employees from Accounting & Finance, Communications, Engineering, Health, Environmental, Safety & Security (HES&S), Information Technology, Law, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Trades, which included a transport driver, diesel mechanic, mechanical technician and electrical and instrumentation technician.

“It was a great opportunity for our students to see the connection between school and the real world,” said Kelly Perrone, science teacher at Liberty-Benton. “It allowed them to see many of the job possibilities in their future, and it connected them with people in their community.”

Students toured the campus and visited with Marathon Petroleum’s Talent Acquisition team and other employees over lunch to practice communication skills and ask questions about the company.

“Liberty-Benton schools are just a couple miles down the road from our campus, but for many students this was the first time they saw inside our doors,” said Brian Niese, Marathon Petroleum Facility Services and Real Estate Director. “It was great to share with students the opportunities our company has to offer right here in their community and around the country.”

Student feedback “The whole experience taught me that just because you start in one field of work and in one company or business that doesn't mean that you have to do that for the rest of your life. A lot of the people I talked to said that they have switched around a lot until they found something they really enjoy doing daily.” “The largest lesson I learned from the day was to always work my hardest and think about how what I do in the present will affect my future.” “I learned that if you don’t have certain skills for a job, you should work on it instead of giving up.”