I am proud to share that I was selected as a 4A's MAIP Fellow this summer at Heartbeat in New York as an art direction intern (virtually of course). Although I knew that I wanted to do something creative in the field of advertising, it wasn’t a clear path to getting here.
When I first accepted my admission to the University of Florida for advertising, I was worried that I would not find a group of creatives in my field. I joined UF’s Advertising Society at the end of my freshman year and was happily overwhelmed by the amount of talented business-minded and creative individuals that instantly accepted me in the club. In Ad Society I found many amazingly talented and hardworking Cuban women to look up to. By example, these women made me feel comfortable and capable, encouraging me to work hard and advocate for myself. When they all started talking about MAIP, I was very curious. The consensus was it was an amazing opportunity to find an internship and network. . . and a lot of work. I have always been up for a challenge so this sounded perfect to me. After becoming accepted into the program, I was excited to discover the opportunities that were waiting for me in the upcoming summer.
The first thing I learned in MAIP is to calendar, calendar, calendar. In addition to my full-time internship, I had after-hour MAIP labs that I started attending. These labs not only connect MAIPers to agencies in the field but also act as workshops. My favorite so far has been the portfolio workshop with Camilla Ciappina. Camilla not only gave us helpful layout suggestions but also provided us with website dos and don’ts.
By far, the best part about MAIP is connecting with the other fellows. Even though MAIP is virtual this year, I have been able to get to know other MAIPers through group chats, breakout rooms and our summer projects. Having a community of other creatives from a variety of backgrounds has made me excited to pursue a career in this field and see what is in store for the rest of the summer.