AD/PR Students Get Boost With Building Bridges

Room 250 in Shepard Hall buzzed with activity. Purple and silver balloons adorned the space where recruiters from various agencies interviewed internship and job candidates. Some of the interviewees were recent graduates of The City College of New York (CCNY). Others are current students. Some alumni came back to cheer students on. “Such an incredible occasion! I love seeing the happy faces of my current and former students,” said Professor Lynne Scott Jackson, who oversaw this Building Bridges event on a night in late November.

Building Bridges 23 was organized by the CCNY chapters of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and the American Advertising Federation (AAF). DeAsia McCorvey, a communications major responsible for recruiter check-ins, said, “All of the recruiters are from reputable companies. They all seem very eager to meet the applicants. I hope to connect with some recruiters.” 

Building Bridges was founded in 2007 by a communications major concentrating in advertising and public relations and has proved popular. The event usually takes place during mid-fall. This year agencies included L’Oréal, Mane, Weber Shandwick, The Fragrance Foundation, TASC Group, Sloan & Company, RF Binder, Publicis Health, LVMH, PG Health, and BCW Global. 

Information tables like the Fragrance Foundation’s attracted students who wanted to know more. Fatoumata Ceesay, a junior in the media communications program who had four different interviews, said, “The recruiters were very insightful, they provided me with a lot of information. The recruiter from Mane gave me her email and scheduled a tour of the facility before offering me an internship. We have a tour scheduled for December first.” 

Nazir Abdulkareem, a senior advertising and public relations student, said, “I am here mostly for the mixer. It’s the best way to connect to former students. They have a lot to share. I managed to gather a lot of LinkedIn connections throughout the night.”

The mixer was held in room 290, where music, coffee, tea, and cookies were served along with pasta and salad. A game of Bingo set the scene for a lot of networking. As the event ended, students were excited and hoped their interviews and networking efforts would pay off. The results will unfold in the weeks to come.