How I Got Accepted into the American Advertising Federation’s Most Promising Students Program by Prisca Paul
Editor’s note: Welcome to Behind The Offer, a series aimed at connecting early-career professionals with personal essays from their peers about how they landed their dream role—and how they can too!
Expect real application and interview advice from real people, as well as insider info on how to land your next internship, campus ambassador role, rotational program, and everything in between.
Today’s essay is from Prisca Paul, a 2025 MPS awardee and May 2025 graduate from Florida Atlantic University.
Prisca’s Bio:
Hi, everyone, I’m Prisca! I am a first-generation recent grad from Florida Atlantic University, where I studied marketing with a minor in Digital Marketing. I am so excited to share my experience with the Most Promising Multicultural Students Program (MPMS) and offer some tips and advice for your application if you're considering applying. I’m also happy to answer any additional questions and connect with anyone on LinkedIn.
What is MPMS?
Formerly known as the Most Promising Multicultural Program, Most Promising Students selects 50 college seniors from across the United States to attend an all-expenses-paid, week-long, life-changing career accelerator. It gives the chance to participate in a pitch competition with the organization’s partners, network with leading industry professionals, and attend an exclusive recruiter fair with the organization's agency partners.
Finding & Applyling
Talk to everyone
Looking back, I cannot believe that this one opportunity came from an interaction at a career fair where the recruiter wasn’t even recruiting for my major!
I was coming up on the end of the fall semester of my senior year, hustling and trying to learn about all the opportunities out there. I was planning for how to prepare for the journey ahead to secure a job or internship post-grad.
One thing that I was always raised with — and still live by is that
“…closed mouths don’t get fed.”
Especially when going to a non-target school, I sometimes had to look beyond my university to find opportunities to advance my career. During this time, I used my time wisely to do exactly that —to have conversations with people, tell them about what I wanted to do, and listen to their stories, journeys, and the things they had learned. Because you never know where one conversation can lead you.
So, it finally came to the day when my school held its annual career fair, and I was going around the different tables seeking out new opportunities. I met a recruiter at Total Wine, and while there wasn’t an opportunity for me with the company, we connected on LinkedIn. Shortly after, she sent the announcement post for MPMS to my inbox, encouraging me to apply.
I honestly don’t even think she realized how much that one message changed my entire life and, surprisingly enough, helped me become the first FAU student to attend the program!
Prep & Mindset
I submitted my application, really pouring my heart into the responses and questions, unsure of how big this opportunity would be aside from the unexpected — flying for the first time to another state on my own.
Then the waiting game started until an email hit my inbox on December 8, 2024, inviting me to interview with a member of the selection team and continue in the process.
Still, during this time, I had no clue what I was really getting myself into, but during the interview, I remember it being such a natural conversation, just talking about my goals, my ambitions, and what an opportunity like this could potentially mean to me — especially being first-generation.
Offer Moment
On January 16, 2025, while I was settling in after class, I got the email that I was accepted! My heart was literally beating out of my chest, and I was so excited to be a part of this experience, still not realizing how big it would be and how much it would change my life. (I was practically clueless leading up to it, knowing what I know now.)
Once all the participants accepted the opportunity, we were put on an orientation call where we got some information about what the week would be like. They also let us know that we would be paired with past alumni for mentorship leading up to our trip and placed into groups for the pitching competition.
On the application, everyone lists what their strengths or niches are in the industry (e.g., strategist, copywriter, creative director, etc.), and we are all meticulously paired together in groups where each of our strengths would be showcased. We were with “strangers” (who became friends) that we had never met or worked with before, which I absolutely loved.
Funny enough, as I am writing this, one of the members from my group actually came to visit my hometown because we all genuinely loved being with each other throughout our time in the program, and that goes for all 49 of the other students in the program.
It’s also important to note that we had some time to prepare for our pitch beforehand. For this cohort, we were assigned to come up with a 360° marketing campaign based on a briefing call with the client, then present it to their partners during one of the sessions for our “pitch competition.”
Inside the Experience
I finally got to New York, and I was so nervous to be in the big city, especially since I come from a small town in Florida. I knew essentially no one outside of the faces I saw during our orientation meetings and group calls. But what I will say is that the program definitely helps ease your worries and provides support to help you connect with people beforehand. They truly handle everything for you, from finding someone to meet up with at the airport to providing meals and transportation from place to place.
Throughout the program, I truly cannot even explain how amazing this opportunity was. We had the chance to visit different offices and speak directly to people from some of the leading agencies in the country —companies I had never heard of before, like Dentsu, MKTG, WPP, and IPG. Even agencies that have worked with McDonald’s and some of my favorite brands in the world. We all got to ask questions and gain direct insight into how to make our break in the industry.
When it came time for our pitch competition, we got to go to LinkedIn Headquarters, where we pitched in front of Adobe, the client, and presented with our groups.
And crazy enough, my group actually won the competition!
We also got to give our full pitch again during the ceremony…and may or may not have won a prize for being the winning team!
Honestly, considering the information and knowledge that you get from this program, I couldn’t put a price on it. At times, it really felt like I was in a dream and in awe of the opportunity I was experiencing.
Everyone I met along the way was so supportive and genuinely wanted to help us in our journeys, especially the 49 other students who also attended the program. Some of my favorite moments were during our downtime in our Ubers, going from place to place, connecting with them, and asking about their journeys and experiences. This program taught me that you can learn so much, not only from people who are already in the industry, but also from people who are working toward the same goals as you. I got to speak with different people from various schools, hearing about how their universities support them, what other programs they’ve joined, and I took note of those to bring back to my university as well.
They didn’t lie when they said the marketing industry is small and that you may run into people from your cohort down the line. Luckily, I genuinely love the community that the Class of 2025 built. There isn’t one student in my cohort that I didn’t enjoy talking to. They are some of the coolest people I have ever met.
Final Thoughts
Apply, Apply, Apply!
Do not get in your head and think that you cannot be one of the 50 people selected for this program.
I actually battled with imposter syndrome during the initial calls for the program because I was trying to convince myself that I didn’t deserve my spot. I kept questioning, “Why me?” out of the many students who applied,thinking that I wasn’t “smart enough” to be selected, compared to the other applicants. But I quickly snapped out of it thanks to the support of the program staff, my group, and the ceremony surprise (which you’ll find out about towards the end of the program).
For anyone reading this, DO NOT, and I repeat, DO NOT trick yourself into thinking that you don’t have what it takes to be in this program.
Imagine if I had believed the doubts in my head — I would never be here writing this post! So if you’re questioning anything, stop and fill out the application. I promise you will not be disappointed. This program is designed to remove barriers for people from all kinds of backgrounds to experience an opportunity like this, taking away worries like money and housing, so all you have to do is press submit.
