The Chicago Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA Chicago), one of the country’s largest chapters, is proud to open applications for the third annual Michelle Flowers Diversity Fellowship. Established in 2020, the initiative was created to grow the pipeline of upcoming multicultural talent in the field of public relations and communications.
New this year, PRSA Chicago has expanded the Diversity Fellowship Program and will award four individual scholarships in the amount of $2,500. Current freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and nongraduating seniors attending Illinois-based institutions are eligible to apply. The award will also include a summer internship at a Chicago agency affiliated with PRSA Chicago.
By providing financial assistance and employment opportunities, PRSA Chicago aims to attract, train and retain people of color to the practice of public relations and communications. The Diversity Fellowship pays tribute to the meaningful contributions of Michelle Flowers Welch, an award-winning expert in the field of multicultural communications. The visionary public relations and marketing entrepreneur founded Flowers Communications Group, one of the nation’s top multicultural integrated marketing agencies, in 1991. A strategic, innovative thought leader, Flowers Welch serves as a trusted senior counselor to clients and an inspiring mentor to young professionals. She holds a master’s degree in advertising from Northwestern University and is a magna cum laude graduate of Winston-Salem State University. She has received more than 100 industry awards for communications excellence. Awards will be presented to students who major in communications or related field and are AfricanAmerican/Black, Hispanic or Latina/o/x/e, Arab/West Asian, East and Southeast Asian, South Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, Indigenous/Native American, or two or more races. Membership in the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) is preferred, but is not a requirement. The two fellows will be announced in February 2023. Interested college students can visit https://michelleflowersfellowship.com/ to learn more and apply for the fellowship.
