The Mississippi Association of Broadcasters (MAB) hosted a student conference on Thursday, November 10th at the Mississippi E-Center at Jackson State University. Both university and community college students of Mississippi were afforded an opportunity to network through informational workshops, sessions, and programs. Presentation Skills, The Rhythm of Marketing, Reporting vs Storytelling, and Personal Branding in Influencer Marketing, were just a few of the workshops provided. Students got to pick three out of seven programs to attend within the allotted time periods given.
Program speakers such as Mississippi Anchor/Multimedia Journalist Joshua Jackson and Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley, hosted workshops that provided insight of their professions along with helpful career navigation tips. Keynote speaker, Brittany Bright, represented the world of influencing and branding with a special segment. Bright is a multifaceted, multi-hyphenated Influencer Marketing industry thought leader, Creator, and business owner.
Eight students (Delesha Banks, Mekiyla Brown, Ladarrius Besst, D’Marius Jones, Aerial Hoskins, Ta’Preikah Sutton, Larissa Chillous, and Dejah Burton) from the Mass Communications Department at Alcorn State University represented their chapter of the NABJ (National Association of Black Journalists). Alcorn’s Mr. Mass Communications, D’Marius Jones shared the importance of the event by stating, “I think the event gave us an accurate description as to how a career in media really would be. I think it is important for students to attend events such as this to network and learn from a different perspective. This allows students to experience different career paths and all that they consist of.”
Alcorn Mass Communications student, Ladarrius Besst, highlighted his favorite part of the conference stating, “It was great seeing my fellow peers from all over Mississippi be so passionate and eager to receive information that would serve as a great attribute to their career path as well as the overall future.”
The conference concluded with a presentation of the 2022 MAB Scholarship to three collegiate students. One of the recipients were Alcorn’s Mass Communications student Mekiyla Brown. Brown expressed her elation about receiving the $1,500 scholarship stating, “As a first-generation college student I am doing what I need to do to make sure that my family and I don’t have the stress of trying to find money to fund my college education.” Brown also shared the importance of applying for scholarships such as the one she received saying, “It’s free money! There are companies that want to help college students by giving them money for school. Whether it is $500 or $5,000, scholarships truly are a blessing.”
