Class of 2023: BGSU finance major gets early start to career following successful internship

Joshua Auten began full-time job as financial planning and analysis analyst in January

By Laren Kowalczyk ‘07

Joshua Auten was only about a month into his summer internship at Welltower Inc. when he presented to the company’s chief financial officer and several senior leaders alongside other members of his team.

With support and encouragement from his managers, the Bowling Green State University senior and his team proposed the global real estate investment company explore using a tool with which Auten had experience from another internship.

By the last week of his internship, Welltower had adopted the new tool companywide.

“On my first day at Welltower, the CEO was on a call with all the interns and said, ‘Let’s change how we do business,'” Auten said. “I think our financial planning and analysis analyst team did just that.”

Auten’s work ethic and early impact at the company garnered him a job offer.

With most of his bachelor’s degree requirements completed in Fall 2022, Auten began working full-time in January as a financial planning and analysis analyst at Welltower, headquartered in Toledo.

He’s completing a few remaining commitments at the University this spring, including his term as an undergraduate trustee on the BGSU Board of Trustees.

BGSU involvement

Auten, who was highly involved at BGSU over the last three and a half years, will graduate April 28 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration specializing in finance and insurance and risk management. 

In addition to this two-year term on the board of trustees, Auten was a member of the University’s famed SICSIC spirit squad. He was green Iron Man, an ode to a friend who passed away at a young age from a rare disease.

Auten was also president of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, a student ambassador and dean’s scholar in the Allen W. and Carol M. Schmidthorst College of Business and an assistant leadership coordinator with Ohio DECA, the organization that initially sparked his interest in finance.

He presented at TEDxBGSU this year on the need to prioritize financial literacy, particularly in underserved communities, to help break intergenerational cycles of poverty.

It’s a topic Auten has been passionate about since high school and one to which he tries to bring awareness continually.

“Financial literacy empowers communities,” Auten said on the TEDxBGSU stage in March. “It will lead to stronger food security and a stronger, more educated workforce which translates to lower crime rates, less stress in our lives, fewer foreclosures in our neighborhoods and overall happier people.”

Importance of community

Looking back on his time at BGSU, Auten said there were many long days, but the opportunities and experiences led him to where he is today.

“It’s hard to put into words how Bowling Green State University has shaped me into who I am,” he said. “There isn’t just one example; there are hundreds of ways this University has changed my life.”

Auten credits the numerous people at the University who encouraged and supported him on his journey. Among them are Dr. Jacob Clemens, senior director of the C. Raymond Marvin Center for Student Leadership and Civic Engagement, and Kendra Lutes, assistant director in the Marvin Center.

“I have had all these opportunities at BGSU that have put me in the spotlight,” Auten said. “It’s been incredible, but it’s not about me. It’s about the people who have given me the opportunity to do all these things.

“This University taught me so much about the importance of community. BGSU is such a special place. It continues to change lives, and it’s really pushed me to want to impact others and give back.”

Clemens has interacted with Auten in numerous capacities since he enrolled at the University. In each instance, Clemens said he has witnessed his strong commitment to BGSU and to bettering the campus community.

“From the moment he stepped onto campus, Josh committed himself to a tireless pursuit of creating public good,” Clemens said. “Josh has taken on each role with humility and authenticity and genuinely sought out opportunities to grow himself and to give back to the community that has given him so much.”