PRep School to offer paid career development training for students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and from sororities and fraternities of the Divine Nine
CHICAGO (June 17, 2022) – Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) agency Golin announced today the launch of a new fellowship program offering paid summer career development training for students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and from sororities and fraternities of the Divine Nine. The program will select 14 rising college seniors and place them in fellowship positions across all four of its Golin Group agency brands and in all eight of its U.S. markets.
The program, called PRep School, is an eight-week paid training and development opportunity that offers students professional experience working for a global public relations agency, integration into client service teams to work on some of the world’s most well-known brands and mentorship from top executives in the industry. Applications for this inaugural class will open in September, and selected students will begin their fellowship in June 2023.
“All of our Golin Group agencies stand behind our global commitment that tackling racial inequities must be more than what we believe in – it must be in what we do,” said Natasha O’Dell Archer, senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). “We’ve put significant focus into our systems, education, investments and measurement to ensure that our actions lead the way toward progress. PRep School is an incredible new program to bring young, bright minds together with today’s top industry professionals to work on business that is paving the way toward equitable advancement. It’s exciting to offer these rising stars first-hand career experience while also incorporating their personal perspectives into our client solutions.”
The launch of PRep School marks one of several investments the agency rolled out this year, announcing the program in time with Juneteenth to honor Emancipation Day and take action toward racial equity across the PR industry. The fellowship is set to run between June 12 and Aug. 4 of next year, and will recruit students from HBCUs and the Divine Nine, which includes Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. Selected students will work for Golin Group agency brands The Brooklyn Brothers, Virgo Health, DeVries Global and Golin. Five selected fellows will be given specialty remits within Golin Health, the agency’s leading healthcare communications practice area, and receive an additional $1,000 in scholarship compensation on top of their hourly wage. Workshops and real-work experience for all fellows will take place in Golin’s U.S. markets of Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
“Our agency’s DE&I progress is steeped in dedication by our individuals and rooted in a culture of collaboration,” said Gary Rudnick, president and chief operating officer. “We strive to make change that matters, and we know that our biggest opportunity to advance societal improvement starts with our ability to shape the future of our industry and bring diverse minds together to affect change on every piece of our business.”
While PRep School’s application process isn’t open for submissions until September, interested students are encouraged to start networking now and can reach out to learn more by emailing prepschool@golin.com.