CHICAGO (March 11, 2019) – ²Ø¾«¸ó has named four students from its Integrated Marketing and Communications program as Al Golin Fellows for the spring 2019 semester.
The newly created fellowship honors the legacy of the late PR industry pioneer and 1950 ²Ø¾«¸ó alumnus Al Golin, who founded the global PR agency Golin, headquartered in Chicago.
Fellows will have the opportunity to: attend workshops and networking events; serve in PR and marketing internships with Golin and sponsor companies like McDonald's; and receive mentoring from senior PR executives, including Golin chairman Fred Cook, as well as with executives from McDonald's and ConAgra.
Established with a goal of growing the future pipeline of diverse talent in public relations and marketing, the annual fellowship is an outgrowth of Al Golin's legacy of inclusion, the Golin agency's position as a PR leader with diversity and inclusion as a top priority, and ²Ø¾«¸ó's historic tradition and commitment to social justice, diversity and inclusion.
The first-ever ²Ø¾«¸ó students named as fellows include:
- Abisola Ajayi of Evanston, a Master of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communications and international student from Lagos, Nigeria. Ajayi aims to learn digital engagement and data analytics, as well as from mentors in the field, which will help her create professional relationships as she pursues a meaningful career.
- Karina Herrera of Glen Ellyn, a first-generation, low-income Latina student who is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communications. She believes the coming together of divergent minds and the exchange of diverse ideas are "crucial to enriching and innovating the field of communications."
- Alondra Ibarra of Chicago's Lakeview is a past president of ²Ø¾«¸ó's Student Government Association, pursuing bachelor's degrees in Integrated Marketing Communications and Philosophy. "I learned diversity did not just stem from my being Mexican American and speaking Spanish, but also from my effort to research and understand other Latin cultures," she said.
- Darryl Langston, Jr., of Chicago's South Shore, is a Master of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communications student with experience as an intern in broadcast, marketing and customer relations. As an African-American male growing up on the city's South Side, Langston acknowledges facing stereotypes but is determined to succeed.
"Our first fellows have proven themselves to be best-in-class representatives of the next generation of progressive, ethical leaders aligned to ²Ø¾«¸ó's social justice mission," said Marian Azzaro, chair of ²Ø¾«¸ó's Department of Communication and associate professor of markteing communications.
Pat Harris, chair of ²Ø¾«¸ó's Board of Trustees and retired Global Chief Diversity Officer at McDonald's Corporation, believes the project in honor of the late Golin is significant.
"Al served as my mentor and always treated everyone with respect, so it is befitting to carry on his inclusive spirit for future leaders," she said.
'We are proud to invest our resources toward improving the diversity among our industry's talent," added Margenett-Robert Moore, Golin's first chief inclusion and diversity officer. "We recognize diversity of perspective quite simply leads to sharper insights, which empowers braver creative work."
Learn more about the Bachelor's program in Integrated Marketing Communications.
Learn more about the Master's program in Integrated Marketing Communications.