Through the help of the Multicultural Advertising Internship Program, eight advertising/public relations majors at U. Central Florida are pursuing internships with large, national advertising and public relations firms.
According to its website, MAIP commits to helping multicultural aspiring advertising professionals break into the industry.
Since its founding in 1973, MAIP has given racially and ethnically diverse college students the opportunity to spend 10 weeks during the summer working with members of the American Association of Advertising Agencies.
“The science of advertising is about promoting to niche groups, so everybody wants minorities in their work force,” said Joan McCain, the area coordinator and an instructor for the ad/PR major at UCF.
The interns are provided housing and are paid $4,000. They spend the duration of the program in the city of their respective firms and are then flown to New York for a graduation ceremony.
The students are also mentored. Every Friday the interns meet and have a guest speaker talk to them about topics relevant to advertising and public relations careers.
This summer, MAIP’s program placed about 130 interns from an applicant pool of nearly 300 students nationwide.
In 2009, the MAIP placed 107 interns at agencies around the country.
There are about 164 universities that offer advertising programs, and all of their students are eligible to apply to the program.
Ten UCF students were selected by MAIP between 2005 to 2009.
According to McCain, the total of eight interns from UCF was both the most selected from UCF in a single summer for the program and the most MAIP has selected from a single school in a summer.
“Joan was a big part of us getting these internships,” said Christina Thomas, an MAIP participant. “She does so much more than she needs to. More advisers need to be like her.”
In December, 14 UCF students applied, submitting essays and creative executions.
Nine of those 14 became semifinalists, and all nine were eventually accepted into the program, breaking records in MAIP participation.
One UCF student declined the offer, however, citing that the internship offer did not match his career goals.
One of the eight participants received the only public relations internship in the country, while another intern was offered the copywriter position.
The internships began June 7.
Three interns are spending the summer in New York City, three in Chicago, one in Los Angeles and one in Dearborn, Mich.
Thomas landed an internship in Chicago with Starcom MediaVest Group, one of the largest communication companies in the world.
“I’m not just making copies, like some internships,” Thomas said. “They have us working on real projects and meeting clients. I know I’m an intern, but I feel like a part of the team.”
On Aug. 12, McCain and the UCF participants in the MAIP program will meet with the rest of the interns at MAIP headquarters in New York City for the graduation ceremony.
“Agency executives from all over go to this graduation ceremony,” McCain said. “As all eight of our students stand up and say what school they’re from, it won’t be ‘UF’ or ‘Boston’ that people hear. It’ll be ‘UCF, UCF, UCF.’ I get goose bumps just thinking about it. We’re building a reputation on a national level.”