Watch my application video for the program!

The Multicultural Advertising Internship Program promotes diversity in the creative industry through an intensive 10-week internship program. I had the honor of interning at CDMi Connect, one of the leading digital healthcare agencies under the Omnicom group, as an Account Coordinator. 

my work

I got to work on numerous projects throughout my 10 weeks. The most exciting project was leading the intern team to create a spirit week campaign through social media and print within the company to celebrate our core values: Substance, Style, Conviction, and Grace.

I had the wonderful opportunity to write the script for a tongue-in-cheek video with the Chief Marketing Officer of Omnicom Health, Josh Prince. It was a major hit!

ADDITIONAL responsibilities

• Audited, analyzed and presented recommendations for web development team
• Documented, edited, and reviewed Health Review changes and routed documents to the team
• Summarized 100 page deck to two page summary used company wide for brainstorm session
• Developed strategy in Nike campaign for Wieden + Kennedy

What I Learned

The text above briefly describes the work I put in, but that summer was full of wonderful experiences. Here is what I learned that summer.

Be brave

I was pushed beyond belief that summer and the phrase that stuck with me was "all you need is 20 seconds of bravery." There were so many things I volunteered for and pitched with hopes that one thing would stick. Mustering up just 20 seconds of bravery and saying yes opened lots of doors and incredible learning opportunities. It was truly a deep dive into the ad world and I haven't looked back since.

Stand for something

As an immigrant, I went through life here in the United States without much thought, thinking all my struggles were unique experiences. Once I joined MAIP and began speaking with all the interns, I came to the realization that there were so many people who faced similar challenges as me.

Being vocal, speaking up about things I found difficult, pointing out where we went wrong in our industry, and asking for help ultimately helped me grow and develop a personal mission: to be the change.

As cliche as it sounds, I didn't realize what that meant until MAIP drilled in me that we have to be the agents of change to promote diversity and pave the way for multicultural individuals in the industry.

This led me to start Marketers of Baruch and continue to be involved with MAIP and MPMS.

It's a people industry

Meeting so many creative and passionate individuals was an incredible experience. We all had dreams and we all had very ambitious goals. 

Surrounding myself with these people really kicked my butt and ignited a fire that keeps burning to this day. These were the people I wanted to be around and these were the people i wanted to enjoy the journey with.

GIVE BACK

There were so many people who got me here who had no right to help me in the first place. 

Once I took part of the program, there were many others who continued to teach me and show me the ropes.

That's the nature of our industry. And one piece of advice that I continually get to this day is to "pass it down." 

I'll always take this to heart and be forever grateful for all those who have helped me on my personal journey (I'm looking at you, mentors!)