Janai Cunningham

 

     I’m Janai Cunningham, an advertising enthusiast, pursuing to become a creative director for an advertising agency.

     I was born in Clearwater, Florida and moved to Virginia when I was 12 after my mom married a sergeant in the army. Not growing up in a cookie-cutter household, I was exposed to various cultures that has allowed me to maintain an open mindset on many principles. 

     I am a mulatto with German, French, Scottish and African-American ancestry. My mother is Caucassian and my father is African-American. When I was six, my father abandoned me and my mother, which left me feeling disconnected from his culture.  I coped by focusing on my schoolwork and became a resilient and hard-working individual.  I got involved in sports to keep me busy. As a cheerleader, gymnast, and track runner I learned how to navigate team dynamics and saw the results of my laborious practices through each competition.

     To fill the cultural gap that I felt when my father left, I sought out black friends. However, when I moved to an army base in Virginia it exposed me to diverse people. I interacted with disparate Americans who brought a touch of their mashed-up military culture to my life.

     My pursuit in advertising stemmed from taking a journalism course in high school, and getting involved in the school newspaper. My original interest in journalism evolved to the business aspect of advertising. I eventually became the advertising editor and later the business manager for the newspaper, which involved contacting businesses for support and creating advertisement for those businesses to be placed in our monthly issues. Those years being involved with my high school newspaper allowed me to express my creative ability and also communicate professionally with clients.

     After graduating high school in 2011, I fed my hunger for advertising by investing in secondary education. I am a senior at the University of Tampa currently completing a B.A. in Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in marketing with honors.

     The lessons that I have learned here has helped me hone my skills as I continue to learn design principles, writing styles, and the varying approaches of communicating through different mediums. My marketing education has helped me gain an encompassing viewpoint for a product and brand.

      My involvement has been extensive and varied. As a Director of Public Relations for Residence Hall Association, I promoted the organization by creating advertisements to be placed in various communication mediums. I became a Resident Assistant to help attribute to the cost of my education. I supervised floors of co-ed students from different backgrounds and create programs to help build a community. As a Business Manager of sports promotions for Athletic Marketing I worked with sponsors in order to ensure that they are promoted properly at every game. I became a human resources assistant to pay for my last semester in college. I learned time management by juggling multiple projects, which involved confidential information. I am currently an intern at The Hotel Guy, where I manage the social media networks and research companies for prospecting purposes.

     As I continue to learn and develop my skills, my interest in advertising grows as well. My goal is to earn a position with an advertising agency that allows me to work with various clients. I hope to bring my expertise to create new and exciting advertising trends.