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�ؾ��� has named nine students as prestigious Al Golin Fellows for the spring 2020 semester. They will attend specialized workshops focused on modern communications strategies deployed by some of the world’s largest marketers.

The fellowship honors the late PR industry pioneer and 1950 �ؾ��� alumnus Al Golin. He founded the global PR agency, Golin, which is headquartered in Chicago and well-known for its more than 60-year partnership with McDonald’s.

“Al supported diversity and inclusion long before it was the trendy thing to do,” said Fred Cook, chairman of .  “He believed that purpose is more important than profit. We will always value his opinions and follow his principles.” 

Following his death in 2017, Golin committed to build upon a communications scholarship that Al Golin and his wife, June, had started for the benefit of students from under-represented backgrounds more than a decade earlier.

In partnership with �ؾ���, the agency last year started the Al Golin Fellowship Program, which introduces fellows to latest practices and trends in the industry and provides opportunities for networking, internships and mentoring with major companies and senior PR executives.

There were four �ؾ��� students in the first 2019 Golin fellows class. These fellows became communications interns with area companies, a major step toward their launching professional careers in the PR, media and marketing industries.  

“We are honored to be part of a fellowship program that is diversifying the communications field and helping to pave the way for �ؾ��� students to become professionals and leaders who are capable of making a positive difference in our future,” said Ali Malekzadeh, president of �ؾ���.

Now in its second year, the fellowship that aims to grow the future pipeline of diverse talent in public relations and marketing is making considerable strides in both reach and achievement. The size of this year’s fellow class is more than double what is was in 2019.  Interest in program sponsorship also is growing, with five companies – All State Insurance, McDonald’s Corporation, Golin, ConAgra and Interpublic Group of Companies – now on board as sponsors. Along with June Golin, sponsors make a financial contribution so students can afford to take part in the program.  Sponsor companies also invite fellows to interview for internship positions. 

The spring 2020 Golin fellows include:

Damilola Akinola, international student from Nigeria, MS Integrated Marketing Communications

Marcoantonio Anaya of Chicago’s West Lawn neighborhood, BA Integrated Marketing Communications

Tyler Bearden, a native of Tinley Park, Ill., BA Integrated Marketing Communications

Isabelle Clark of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., BSBA Finance

Julia D’Etienne of Schaumburg, Ill., BA Integrated Marketing Communications

Jordan Fierst of Menomonee Falls, Wis., undergraduate in Political Science and Sustainability Studies

Jelena Kresic, international student from Croatia, MS Integrated Marketing Communications

Sandra Morales of Lincoln, Ill., MS Integrated Marketing Communications

 Ariana Pozos of Capron, Ill., BA Political Science

“We are proud of these student fellows and what they can accomplish,” said Marian Azzaro, associate professor of integrated marketing communications at �ؾ���.  “They are among the best of �ؾ���’s students and are representatives of our next generation of progressive and ethical leaders aligned with the University’s social justice mission.”

ABOUT GOLIN

Golin is a progressive public relations agency that aligns earned-first, data-driven creative with the customer journey, to deliver maximum impact for clients and reach a profoundly diverse global market. Today, with more than 1,700 employees and 60+ years of experience, Golin has proudly reclaimed the public relations industry and is redefining it for the future.  Earning attention has never been more important, and Golin is an industry leader helping clients get the results they need. 

As the first-ever PR agency to be credited with “ideation,” Golin took home Gold and Silver Lions at the 2019 Cannes Lion Festival of Creativity. It also was named PR Week’s 2019 Global Agency of the Year; PR moment’s 2018 Agency of the Year; and in 2017, PRCA’s Large Consultancy of the Year and The Drum’s PR Consultancy of the Year.