This article was written by Ni’A Landon, a School of Communication Director’s Ambassador.

The Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication (HMC) presented its annual Mentorship and Awards Ceremony on Oct. 2. During this annual event, academic scholarships were extended to 15 students who were also paired with industry professionals. These professionals will serve as their mentor for the 2020-2021 academic school year.

“Before the mentorship, I wouldn’t have thought about contacting someone in the business industry because it seemed intimidating,” Richard Carretero, a student mentee in the program, said. “This program allows many students, especially multicultural students, to get an opportunity that they might never have before to engage with leaders in the business industry.”

Since 2005, the mentorship program connects students of the Multicultural Marketing Certificate and Hispanic Marketing program with C-level executives in the communication field. Students and mentors are paired based on similar backgrounds and career interests. Access to experienced professionals allows students to learn from their mentor’s experience, navigate areas of professional development, and build new skills.

“Being a mentor is not only about giving back but also taking in new knowledge and energy from the mentee. It’s being able to see yourself in their eyes, with 30 years more of experience, and being able to tell them–it’s going to be OK,” Arminda Figueroa, a mentor in the program and Founder and CEO of Latin2Latin Marketing + Communications, said. “We can help them by providing direction or being a sounding board for new projects they have for a class, or point out how XYZ volunteering projects build the soft and hard skill sets needed for real-life work.”

As the students prepare to become the next generation of professionals in multicultural marketing communication, the program focuses on fostering professional development while amplifying diverse talent.

“Due to this epic time, we got more professionals committed to this program. The Covid-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matters movement have maximized the concern among professionals to increase awareness and education about the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the job field,” Dr. Sindy Chapa, Director of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication, said. “I hope this year our students take advantage of this opportunity to a higher extent, commit to foster their relationship and learn all they can from them.”

As the U.S Hispanic market continues to grow, the Center is a pioneer in training students and professionals in multicultural marketing communication. Learn more about the Center and its programs here: https://hmc.comm.fsu.edu/.