Redefining What Sustainability Sounds Like

Clayton Perry enjoys performing in an a cappella group and recording albums. He is also studying both Marketing and Environmental Policy. How does he want to use his IPS to redefine sustainability and make it part of mainstream culture?

About Me

I am a semi-professional guitar player and singer. Last summer, I played gigs at home in Ocean City and at various bars and restaurants in the surrounding area. It was an awesome experience that I hope to continue doing for a long time to come. I am also a recording engineer and producer. Last year, I recorded my a cappella group's full length album and am preparing to record another a cappella group on campus this semester. I've also worked on several local artists' projects, as well as songs of my own over the past few years. In my a cappella group I sing bass, baritone and tenor 2.

My Individual Program of Study (IPS) is inspired by my interest in marketing and its potential application to the world of environmental sustainability. Although I knew little about marketing going into the business program, the Principles of Marketing class during the Integrated Foundation Semester introduced me to what marketing is really all about. It solidified my intent to pursue a double major in Marketing and Environmental Policy.

I feel that preserving the environment is one of the paramount issues in the world. Utilizing business principles to help integrate sustainable energy and consumption choices into mainstream culture can help prevent climate change from becoming a major problem in our lives. I hope to use marketing as a tool to change ideas of tree-hugging, hippy environmentalism into a profitable and sustainable business model that will be accepted by all of society.

Impact & Engagement

I love feeling like a part of a community and there is no better way to do that than to become involved in organizations on campus. One of my responsibilities on campus is being both the recording engineer and tour manager of my a cappella group, The Stairwells. Keeping the group focused and organized to finish recording an album in one semester also helped me to establish my leadership and organizational skills. Contacting a cappella groups at other schools and expending The Stairwells' a cappella network also helped my communication skills.

As part of the AMP publicity committee, I work to publicize events on campus through social media, posters, flyers, and promotional videos. I am currently setting up an event on campus publicity featuring Matt Williams from the Martin Agency, as well as Marketing professors from the Business School.

I am also a member of Net Impact, the business sustainability club. We hosted the Corporate & College Collaborative on Sustainability which featured firms such as IBM, Saatchi and Saatchi, the Martin Agency, as well as about a dozen schools from all over the country. I learned a lot about what other schools and businesses are doing to integrate sustainability. This was particularly interesting to me because of my intense interest in meshing sustainability with business.

Highlights

One of the best parts of the Business School is the group work. The ability to work in groups is an absolutely vital tool for anyone going into the professional world. Almost all of my business classes have had at least one group project.  Some had several and others even challenged us to work in the same group for an entire semester on one large scale group project.

One of the requirements for all Business majors is the Organizational Management & Behavior class that focuses largely on group and team work. Working in groups has been a major highlight of my time in the Mason School of Business, and I know its usefulness will carry over to whatever career path I choose in the future.

Next Steps

My next step is to find a summer internship with a sustainable business or consulting firm.  I am currently applying to renewable energy companies, as well as large consulting firms, in an attempt to gain real world experience fusing business and sustainability. I hope to work in this field after graduation or perhaps pursue a Master's degree in either business or environmental policy. The future is wide open for me, and I'm sure with the guidance of the Mason School of Business it will be bright.