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