The American Advertising Federation has selected SMU seniors Nikki Duong and Marleny Ramirez as winners in the 2005 top 40 “Most Promising Minority Students” national competition.
This program is the premier advertising award to honor and recruit exceptional minority college graduates in advertising, marketing, media and communication, according to the AAF Website. The 40 top winners represented 33 colleges in 20 states, and Duong and Ramirez were the only college students in Texas to make the list.
The winners will attend the awards luncheon at the New York Athletic Club in New York City on Feb. 9, where they will meet with recruiters from leading agencies and advertisers.
“I am really honored to have been nominated for this award, and I am very proud to be representing SMU at the award program,” Duong said.
Not only does the AAF award recognize the students, but it also enhances their knowledge of the advertising industry by offering interviewing opportunities with advertising professionals.
“Our resumes will be distributed to recruiters that will schedule interviews with potential candidates during the two-day program,” Ramirez said.
Recruiters at this year’s luncheon are posted on the AAF Website (www.aaf.org). They include ABC, ESPN, Johnson and Johnson, MTV Networks and Verizon Communications.
“This award will open so many doors for me into the advertising industry,” Duong said. “It will give me the chance of a lifetime to meet and network with industry professionals from across the country.”
The Temerlin Advertising Institute at SMU has had winners in this competition for 8 of the 9 years it has existed, according to Temerlin professor Dr. Alice Kendrick.
“SMU has a history of graduating outstanding minority students in advertising. This comes as a surprise to some who do not think of SMU as having a very diverse student body,” Dr. Kendrick said.
The nominees fully understand the importance of attracting minority students to the advertising field.
“Having minority leaders within the industry provides agencies with the diversity that helps represent the different types of markets that advertisers are trying to reach,” Ramirez said.
Duong, a Vietnamese student, added, “This also gives minority students the chance to show the industry the wealth of ideas and talent that we have to offer.”
Dr. Kendrick nominated Duong and Ramirez based on their academic achievements as well as their professional accomplishments and career goals. AAF requires students to be graduating seniors, have a 3.25 college GPA and be US citizens or be of African, Hispanic, Native American, Asian or Pacific Island descent.
“All of our nominees have outstanding academic credentials as well as records of leadership and community service,” Dr. Kendrick said. “They have also held internships at major advertising companies.”
Duong was a member of last year’s national championship National Student Advertising Competition from SMU, and she also launched her own fashion design business, Cykochik.com. She has interned as an art director at Dallas advertising agency, GroupBaronet.
Ramirez is VP of Account Management for SMU’s ad team, Praxis. She has interned at a Hispanic advertising agency in Dallas, and last year she received a national scholarship award from the LaGrant Foundation—a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the number of ethnic minorities in advertising, marketing and public relations.
“Since my last internship at a Hispanic advertising agency I have taken great interest in this market segment because of its growing numbers and advertisers’ desire to reach this market,” Ramirez said. “Being bilingual in Spanish and English puts me at an advantage when studying in this market.”
Allison Bujnoch, a Hispanic student from Houston, was also nominated by Dr. Kendrick. She made the AAF honor roll and will be attending the awards luncheon with the top 40 finalists.
“I feel so privileged to have been recognized by AAF,” Bujnoch said. “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to represent SMU and other Hispanics.”
Some of SMU’s past winners have received entry-level jobs as a result from this honor, and Dr. Kendrick expects big rewards for her students, such as the network of professionals and contacts they will make.
“The overriding goal of this program is to identify and encourage outstanding minority students with a passion for the business, who will help diversify the advertising industry work force,” Dr. Kendrick said.
Duong agrees, who believes there is a lack of minorities in the industry.
“I believe that minority students offer new perspectives, which lead to new ideas and better business,” she said. “The advertising industry needs more insight into their minority markets.”
