UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Three Penn State students were selected from a highly competitive process and named among the nation’s Most Promising Multicultural Students, according to the American Advertising Federation (AAF).
The three students — Emma Chan, Chenai Christian and Star Lawson — are all senior advertising/public relations majors in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.
They demonstrated academic achievement and had high GPAs to be eligible for the program. Once eligible, they provided recommendation letters, a resume and a summary of community involvement. Each nominee also wrote an essay about why diversity matters, how their skills and experience will enable them to become industry professionals, and why they chose their major.
“This is a huge accomplishment for our students as well as an honor for the Bellisario College,” said Dave Wozniak, the Donald P. Bellisario Career Advancement Professor in the Department of Advertising/Public Relations. “It’s a high-quality group of honorees, each of whom represents Penn State well.”
Chan, from Malvern, Pennsylvania, is completing a double major with English. She serves as a committee director on the executive board for Lion Ambassadors and works as a peer coordinator for Penn State Learning’s Writing Center. She has completed several internships, including a corporate brand strategy position with Lincoln Financial Group and a social media position with the Penn State Office of Strategic Communications.
Christian, from Queens, New York, is a member of Penn State’s team for the National Student Advertising Competition and has completed numerous internships, including a social media position with the Ross Tucker NFL Podcast and a local investment position with The Publicis Group. She also has worked with the sustainability council in the College of the Liberal Arts and served as an officer for the National Council of Negro Women at Penn State.
Lawson, from West Orange, New Jersey, works as an intern for Nickelodeon at Paramount Global and for the Paul Robeson Cultural Center on the University Park campus. She also serves as public relations chair for the African Students Association at Penn State, secretary for the BLUEprint Peer Mentoring Program, and works as a part-time undergraduate research assistant in the Bellisario College. She previously served as the public relations chair for the African Students Association and as a student orientation leader. In October, Lawson was honored as one of two Guide State Forward award winners, presented by Penn State Homecoming.
The AAF’s Most Promising Multicultural Students program, established in 1997, connects the advertising industry with the nation’s top multicultural college seniors. Only 50 students nationally were selected for the honor. Students from more than 140 college chapters applied to the program. Those selected — with an average 3.7 GPA — represented 28 schools from 18 states.
The students will participate in a mid-February trip to New York City. The four-day industry immersion program will allow students to meet with professionals from top advertisers, media companies and advertising agencies at the exclusive Most Promising Multicultural Students Recruiters Expo.
An awards luncheon and industry immersion program are conducted in conjunction with the expo and provide invaluable networking and learning experiences as students dine with leading executives and multicultural industry pioneers and get firsthand advice by visiting major advertisers, ad agencies and media companies and attending workshops led by industry leaders.
Nearly 1,000 students have participated in the program since its inception.