Tag: Most Promising Multicultural Student

Alise Crittendon named AAF Most Promising Multicultural Student

Posted on by Dayne Young

Alise Crittendon, an advertising student from Mableton, Ga., has been selected to the American Advertising Federation (AAF) 2022 class of Most Promising Multicultural Students.

“This is one of the biggest honors I’ve received thus far because it represents everything I have been striving for: increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in the media industry,” said Crittendon. “I even wrote about this in my Grady statement of interest two years ago!”

The AAF’s Most Promising Multicultural Student program is part of an initiative to promote diversity in the advertising workplaces. Crittendon will participate in a four-day workshop that will help advance skills, enhance professional development and provide exclusive networking opportunities.

Crittendon and her fellow 49 honorees from around the country were selected by a judging panel featuring representatives from Amazon, The Coca-Cola Company, TikTok, and many more leading advertising organizations.

“We are so proud to add Alise to the UGA Department of Advertising and Public Relations alumni who have been selected to participate in the highly competitive American Advertising Federation Most Promising Students program,” said Bryan Reber, Advertising and Public Relations Department Head.

Crittendon was also selected as a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies  Multicultural Advertising Internship Program (MAIP) earlier this year.

Crittendon credits Women in Media and Talking Dog as organizations that have helped her grow during her time at Grady College.

Reber says Crittendon has become a superstar student and has grown through mentoring with faculty.

“Special thanks go to faculty who teach and mentor these students as they prepare their portfolios for the competitions,” Reber said. “Dr. Kirsten Strausbaugh has been a special mentor to Alise.”

After graduation, Crittendon plans to join an advertising agency as a copywriter where she would develop campaigns and powerful messaging for brands. She says she found a love for storytelling at Grady College and wants to use that passion to help brands execute strategy with creativity. She also credits her extra-curricular activities with helping her grow into a young professional.

“Women in Media and Talking Dog Agency are both special to me for different reasons, but my involvement in these gave me the confidence and experience I needed to continue working towards my goals,” said Crittendon.

See the full release from the American Advertising Federation here.

You can learn more about Crittendon in this InternViews piece published earlier in 2021.

Kailyn Sanders selected as a Most Promising Multicultural Student

Posted on by Don McClain

Kailyn Sanders, a fourth-year advertising major at Grady College, has been named to the 2018 American Advertising Federation of Most Promising Multicultural students.

Kailyn Sanders accepts her award at a ceremony in New York City. (Photo: Tom Reichert)
Kailyn Sanders accepts her award at a ceremony in New York City. (Photo: Tom Reichert)

Every year the American Advertising Federation selects 50 multicultural students nationwide that they feel represents some of the top emerging talent in the advertising industry.

Through this program students attend a four-day recruiting conference where they meet and learn from top professionals in the advertising industry, visit different advertisers and agencies and interview for full-time positions.

“The conference was amazing because of the large number of advertising professionals that came out to guide and mentor us. I am now connected with CMOs, COO, CCOs, presidents of agencies, recruiters and more,” Sanders, who attended the conference in February, remarked. “Not only did I build connections with the best in the business, but each and every one of the Most Promising Students have become a network of talent that has proven to be the future of the industry. The conference also taught me that I can do anything that I put my mind to. I now have three words that I live by: hustle, resilience, empathy.”

Sanders throughout her studies has capitalized on the different experiences Grady offers to students. In the summer of 2015, she participated in the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity study abroad where she learned more about the advertising and public relations industry. She also serves as the chair of diversity and scholarship for UGA’s Ad Club by ensuring that there is diversity within Ad Club’s programming, guest speakers and members.

“I am absolutely convinced that Grady’s Department of Advertising and Public Relations is one of the best in the nation,” Sanders said. “Grady has not only taught me to be hungry for learnings inside of the classroom but has pushed me to explore the industry outside of the classroom.”

This is seen in a commitment by Sanders to promote diversity and multiculturalism. In addition to this honor, Sanders has attended numerous industry conferences such as the Publicis Multicultural Talent Pipeline and UGA’s AdPR Academy: Advancing Diversity at Moxie. This opportunity was an “experience of a lifetime” as the AdPR Academy taught Sanders how to start her career as a young professional and how to differentiate herself from others.

“Being nominated by the AAF as a Most Promising Multicultural Student was such a huge accomplishment for me,” Sanders concluded. “When I received the email that I had been admitted into the 2018 class, I was absolutely elated. I felt that my three years of hard work and long nights had finally proved to be worth it.”