The Brand Advocates Academy 

We hosted our first class of interns as part of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Summer Youth Internship Program. Sponsored by Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the Foundation for New Education Initiatives and The Children’s Trust, the program provides high schools with hands-on internship opportunities to enhance their skills in communications, PR and outreach.

"Being an intern for the Brand Advocates was a truly eye-opening experience in an excellent workplace environment,” said Tyreeka Johnson, a senior at Miami Central Senior High School. “I've learned so much about public relations and how the media operates. I also met some amazing members of the media through this experience that I would not have connected with otherwise.”

"We were thrilled to create this learning experience for our interns. This was a win-win. We will participate in the program again in 2017  and look forward to developing a growing network of future communications professionals," said Managing Partner Courtney Cunningham. 

During the five-week paid internship, the students accumulated 150 hours of experience.  The Brand Advocates coordinated weekly outings for the interns that allowed them to get exposure to opportunities in the communications field including a lunch session with local news reporter, Terrell Forney, a tour of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) Traffic Management Center and a behind-the-scenes look at how a local newscast is produced at WPLG Channel 10.

“The Brand Advocates Academy wasn't just an internship but also an experience of collaboration, responsibility and dedication,” said Jorge Torres, a senior at Felix Varela Senior High School. “It was a great place to learn lessons from true professionals. I picked up important lessons and it was a priceless experience.”

Each intern received a new laptop, backpacks and other back-to-school gear as part of the internship. For more information on The Brand Advocates Academy, please contact Myrick Mitchell at myrick@thebrandadvocates.com. ​