The Multicultural Advertising Internship Program (MAIP) – sponsored by the 4A’s or Association of American Advertising Agencies, the largest ad agency trade group in the United States – is one of the most prestigious programs for advertising and communications students across the country. Jack J. Valenti School of Communication students have applied for this program for the past decade, and last year the University of Houston ranked among the top 10 schools represented in the program for the first time ever.  This year, the University of Houston advanced into the top five schools for most MAIP fellows, with seven confirmed students gaining internships within the program. 

MAIP fellows are hand-selected by industry professionals to begin their careers in advertising. Once selected, they engage in a 22-week, nationwide fellowship that features both virtual and in-agency opportunities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s internships will be largely performed remotely. 

“I am proud of the students and the success that they are achieving on a national scale. It shows that our program is very competitive on a national level,” said Larry Kelley, instructional professor of public relations at the Valenti School of Communication. 

Among the confirmed winners are advertising, public relations and integrated communications majors. 

This year’s confirmed winners are Jiselle Santos, Jan Parayno, Bryan Guidel, Keisha High, Angelica Kremer, America Herrera and Theresa Magnus. MAIP announces initial winners on Feb. 16 but also performs rolling announcements through the spring as new internship positions become available— of the seven students selected for the fellowship, five were selected on the initial date.

University of Houston’s American Advertising Federation chapter (AAF-UH) conducts workshops on how to apply for MAIP, as well as workshops for other scholarships. Workshops on the MAIP application process include inviting previous Valenti students and MAIP winners as guest speakers to guide interested students through the process. 

Jiselle Santos, a senior advertising major, attended one such workshop after becoming interested in the program. She first heard of MAIP through Kelley’s insistence for Valenti students to apply to the program, which he emphasizes every year to students who take his classes. 

“We have a lot of UH students who have gotten into MAIP, especially for a smaller state school,” said Santos. “I think we have an excellent advertising program.”

Santos is now an advertising major, but before she began her career in communications, she was a STEM student at San Jacinto Community College already making waves in the local Houston music journalism scene. 

“I didn’t think STEM was for me. For a year, I went through school not knowing what to do, and when I applied to UH, I switched to advertising,” said Santos. “I genuinely don’t regret it. That year I felt lost, I realized I was doing a lot too—I was an editor for a lifestyle magazine and even created a music magazine with my friends.” 

After posting commentary on local musicians’ works on her social media platforms, Santos began interacting with both musicians and their publicists online. She gained a steady following on her social media accounts, and through this, Santos and her friends decided to create a digital magazine, Heart Eyes Magazine. 

“I was interviewing artists, meeting publicists, managers and production staff,” said Santos. “I thought I didn’t have the skills, but I did, and it all started with putting my thoughts down on paper. It led me to want to study advertising because, to me, it was the perfect combination of creativity and strategic plans.” 

The magazine features articles, interviews, photos and graphics created by a cast of young communication students with a passion for music. Santos is now the production manager of the magazine. For many, transitioning from studying STEM to communication would seem daunting, but for Santos, it was a natural move driven by passion and a determination to see her dreams come true. 

“My experience with advertising had to do a lot with entertainment and the music industry, and with this MAIP internship, I’m excited to expand my palate in other sectors like technology and healthcare,” said Santos. “I’m excited to work with people and gain a mentor that’s already in the advertising industry but I can keep up with, especially with how difficult it has been to meet up with people because of the pandemic.” 

After applying for MAIP, Santos was accepted into an account management internship at Merkle, Inc., a technology-enabled customer experience management company based in Columbia, Maryland. Her internship will take place from June through August 2021. 

“When I found out that I got the MAIP fellowship, it was during the winter storm. I was stuck in Fredericksburg, and I had just enough Wi-Fi to open my application,” said Santos. “Once I opened it, I was so relieved and so excited, knowing I had gotten an offer immediately. I had to deal with the winter storm and being stuck in another town, but this really made me feel relieved for the upcoming summer.” 

MAIP is one of the top internship programs in the country for strategic communication. In addition to the fellowship, fellows receive professional development opportunities through virtual spring training, one-on-one coaching with industry experts, MAIP labs and various opportunities to network with MAIP alumni and industry leaders. Fellows are also eligible for scholarships and grants from the program. 

In addition to MAIP, a majority of this year's finalists also participated in the American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) 2021 National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC). This college advertising competition provides students with real-world experience of creating a strategic advertising/marketing/media campaign for a corporate client. This year's MAIP and NSAC participants included America Herrera, Taylor Nguyen, Jan Angeline Parayno, Bryan Guidel and Jiselle Santos.

All MAIP finalists at the University of Houston are: 

Jessica Board, advertising

Mariana Cordero, public relations

Bryan Gudiel, advertising

Saba Haroon, digital media studies

America Herrera, integrated communication

Keisha High, advertising 

Angelica Kremer, integrated communication 

Carlos Linares Escobar, advertising 

Theresa Magana, advertising  

Meshyla Nesbitt, advertising

Taylor Nguyen, advertising 

Eno Oduok, public relations

Jan Angeline Parayno, public relations 

Jiselle Santos, advertising