When Kamilah Bryant, a sophomore advertising major at Klein College of Media and Communication, transferred from the University of Houston last semester, she barely had time to adjust before the COVID-19 pandemic forced all classes to transition online. She acclimated to the new circumstances by boosting her resume by becoming a recipient of one of the national Washington Media Scholars Foundation Media Fellows Scholarships. These awards provide financial assistance to undergraduate students whose academic interests are at the intersection of advertising and public policy, an area she hopes to explore at Klein and well beyond.
Bryant found a warm and welcoming environment in Temple’s urban campus and is now the secretary of Temple Ad Club and the co-public relations and marketing chair of the natural hair and community service organization Campus Curlz at Temple. She first discovered the Media Fellows Scholarship program through Klein, and decided to apply to the scholarship program because she believed it would be a great fit for her interests. Her scholarship is sponsored by Katz Media Group, one of the largest media representation companies in the United States.
“That’s what I was most hoping for: just to get professional experience and just to get in contact with somebody in the industry that I want to be in, maybe get opportunities as far as internships,” Bryant says. “So just to be able to make connections really is what I was hoping for.”
Sandy Kyrish, an adjunct instructor at Klein who taught Bryant’s persuasive writing course in the Advertising Department last semester, wrote Bryant’s recommendation letter. Kyrish was most impressed by how “hard-working and successful” Bryant proved herself to be despite the challenges of starting at Temple and taking on new coursework at Klein. According to Kyrish, Bryant’s unique voice and consistent professionalism made her stand out in the course, and she advises other ambitious students to apply to programs like the Media Fellows Scholarship that they believe will further improve their talents.
“If you see a program that has your name on it, apply. And on the flip side, don’t spend your time...on stuff that doesn’t fit,” Kyrish says.
Similarly, Bryant suggests that students develop strong organizational abilities to stay on top of their commitments and to identify how much availability they have to apply to opportunities such as the Media Fellows Scholarship program.
The Washington Media Scholars Foundation is a nonprofit organization that aims to connect undergraduate students interested in media and public policy with senior-level executives in their respective fields. Recently, two Klein students were named finalists in the foundation’s annual Media Plan Case Competition. The Media Fellows Scholarships are available twice a year. The next deadline for the program is November 16, 2020.