CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Four students at the University of Illinois were among 50 finalists announced last month as honorees in the annual American Advertising Federation’s Most Promising Minority Students Program.
Thomas M. Chan, Chicago; Becca Han, Burr Ridge; Jeremy S. Monton, Waukegan, and Nayeli Valentinez, Lake in the Hills, are seniors in the College of Communications at Illinois. Chan is majoring in media studies and the other three students in advertising.
All four traveled to New York City on Feb. 6-8, where they took part in advertising agency visits and other events, including a celebratory lunch at the New York Athletic Club.
Among the 34 schools represented by the 2007 MPMS finalists, no other institution had more representatives than Illinois, which consistently has enjoyed a strong showing in the program. The four students also represent AAF Illinois, the largest student chapter in the country, which has more than 400 members.
The Most Promising Minority Student Program was created 11 years ago by the AAF to address multicultural recruiting and hiring in the advertising industry. According to the AAF, the program “has provided more than 300 minority candidates by connecting recruiters with advertising students that demonstrate excellence.”
Based in Washington, D.C., the federation is the oldest national advertising trade association, representing 50,000 professionals in the advertising industry. The AAF has a national network of 200 ad clubs and 215 college chapters with 6,500 student members.
