Marietta College Accounting student R. Michael West ’22 (Vienna, West Virginia) was recently recognized by Northwestern Mutual as one of the Top 50 Financial Representative Interns in the Southern Region during the 2021 summer semester.
West ranked 30th in the Southern Region, the largest of Northwestern Mutual’s four regions. Interns who have qualified for this award spent the summer in professional development opportunities, engaging in outreach within their community, meeting with clients and prospective clients, and putting financial plans in place for those individuals.
“It has been a great experience working at Northwestern Mutual,” West said. “Everyone there has been nothing but helpful and supportive. It was a lot of hard work, but being selected for this shows me that my work pays off. I want to thank everyone there for all the advice and work they put into helping me.”
Professor Grace Johnson wasn’t surprised to hear that Michael received the award.
“Through the semesters I’ve worked with Michael, he had demonstrated a strong work ethic and commitment to self-improvement and lifelong learning,” she said.
Northwestern Mutual’s Director of Operations Christian Long ’15 said those who worked with West were pleased with the work ethic he showed throughout the summer.
“This is an internship that takes a lot of hard work, grit and determination, and to be recognized as a top performer is a very high honor,” Long said. “Our interns are test driving a career as a financial representative, which means in a sense they get a shot at being an entrepreneur. That takes a lot of discipline, a great vision and self motivation; all things that Michael has really shown over this summer. We are extremely proud of the work he has done and we are excited to see where this takes him in the future.”