Celebrating 50 Years of Fostering Emerging Leaders at MAIP: A Roundtable Discussion (Video)
On Monday, October 23, the Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) will celebrate 50 years of impacting the lives of over 4,300 individuals as the largest and longest-running national diversity talent pipeline, with a gala hosted by the 4A’s Foundation. Joining us for a conversation on how the program impacted their careers, what they hope interns take away from the program, and recent changes in the industry are three alumni from the program who’ve continued their career journeys at the 4A’s Foundation and MAIP:
- Jacquelyn Green, Director of Programs, MAIP, VANGUARD, VANGUARD Latinx, 365BLACKPRINT, and Dear Black Talent, 4A’s Foundation
- Kennedy Studdard, Director of Programs, MAIP Alumni and Education Programs, 4A’s Foundation
- Sussana Lara, Senior Associate, MAIP, 4A’s Foundation
"I think there are ways that we can improve and have more diversity in leadership at the top. We can build better mentorship and pipeline programs for talent like me," Studdard shared. "Luckily, the 4A’s Foundation is doing that, but it can’t be just us. It takes the entire industry to be that change and catalyst so that no other Black woman coming behind me doesn’t think, 'I don’t know where to go, I don’t know how to feel supported.' I encourage Gen-Z’ers to be bold in the room and share your perspective because it’s important. If people don’t know, we can’t move the needle forward."
"The main thing I want our interns to take away from the program is that they can create the careers they want. I know there are different disciplines within the industry, and this might sound cliché, but ask all the questions and talk to as many people as you possibly can," Green explained. "As I’ve gotten older, what I’ve seen is there will always be a desire to provide opportunity to young talent, to people who are asking questions and are excited about what’s after college."
Lara added that working with interns from the most recent cohort, many came into the program without previous internship experience, and that can be an intimidating experience. "The industry can be really competitive, and that’s when the imposter syndrome really kicks in. I’m excited for them to leave the program and see that whatever you set your heart and mind to, it’s perfectly capable of being reached."
To learn more about the Multicultural Advertising Intern Program, please visit https://foundation.aaaa.org/maip.html.
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Juan Ayala
Juan Ayala is a Brooklyn-based writer, podcaster and columnist at MediaVillage. He covers programming aimed toward diverse, multicultural and LGBTQ+ audiences under his Multicultural TV column. His love for TV and film ranges from workplace comedi…
