Two C&IS Students Named to AAF Most Promising Multicultural Students Class of 2020
Originally published by: College of Communication & Information Sciences, The University of Alabama
Originally published on: December, 6, 2019
The American Advertising Federation (AAF) has named two students from the College of Communication and Information Sciences (C&IS) to its annual Most Promising Multicultural Student program. Erica Howie and Gabbie Waller, both senior advertising majors, joined 48 other students around the country in the 2020 class.
“Being a part of the Most Promising Multicultural Student Class has given me the confidence to know that I have what it takes to be a young talent in the industry,” said Howie, who was born and raised in Japan. “As I start my career in the industry, I want to be an advocate for diversity and inclusion. I saw the Most Promising Multicultural Students program as an opportunity to do just that.”
The Most Promising Multicultural Student Program is in its 24th year and is part of AAF’s initiatives towards promoting diversity and inclusion within the advertising industry. Next, students will take part in a four-day industry immersion program with professional development workshops, site visits and meetings with recruiters in February in New York.
Waller, a Houston native whose mother immigrated from Honduras, sees the Most Promising Multicultural Student program as a way to share the stories of the students with diverse backgrounds from around the country.
“This program is imperative to multicultural students as it not only allows us to network but also gives us a chance to meet others and translate diversity into our advertising careers,” she said. “In this position, I can not only tell my story but also fulfill the duty of the advertising industry to represent diversity, which has been one of my goals coming into this field.”
The award is a familiar one to C&IS, as 4 students have been selected to the program since 2017. C&IS is committed to promoting an environment that harbors diversity and inclusion and influences student leaders to affect change in their respective industries.