7 Learning Lessons from the Ad Club of New York Women Fellowship

The March 11th Ad Club of New York Women Fellowship Info Session is rescheduled to a virtual session on March 31st. I am excited to speak with Claire Mirisola and Sindhuri Bhimavarapu to share our experiences in the fellowship as alumni. We want to pay it forward for others to benefit from this phenomenal opportunity.

RSVP for the virtual info session

In the meantime, many of us are working remotely and I am writing this post to share my learning lessons from when I was selected for this program in 2018.

1. Embrace & Strengthen Your Emotional Intelligence

"Emotional intelligence will change the way you see yourself and others around you."

-Dr. Travis Bradberry

According to LinkedIn Learning, emotional intelligence (EQ) is one of the top 5 soft skills companies will need to be success today and the future along with creativity, collaboration, persuasion, and adaptability. When we kicked off our orientation with Shante Bacon for the 2018 women fellowship, we were all required to read Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by: Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves. It was a great book to remind us that EQ is critical to your success and that it can become a tool to help you improve your life. The book comes with an EQ assessment that focuses on core EQ skills to achieve your fullest potential: (1) Self-Awareness (2) Self-Management (3) Social Awareness (4) Relationship Management

During the fellowship, I also attended 2019 SXSW and one of my favorite sessions was No Hard Feelings: Emotions at Work in the Future Workplace track where the authors (Liz Fosslien & Mollie West Duffy) were presenting their book, No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work. When I bought the book and came back to New York, I searched the authors and found that Mollie West Duffy was doing a book signing at a LMHQ event where I made sure to meet her.

These experiences where EQ is celebrated has brought me joy as I always thought there was something wrong with me for caring too much. Now, I am learning how to manage my emotions and finding ways to improve my EQ to benefit myself and others around me.

2. Your Perseverance & Resilience Will Pay Off

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts."

-Eleanor Roosevelt

We make decisions on a daily basis and we need to choose wisely and be intentional on how we want to live our lives. I did not grow up in an environment where everything is given to me and this transformed me to become the resourceful person I am to create my own opportunities, never give up and keep giving it your all despite obstacles thrown your way.

When I applied to this women fellowship in 2016, I could not believe my eyes that such an incredible opportunity existed. I was definitely disappointed when I did not get accepted into the program. It is easy to say life goes on. When you miss an opportunity, it is what you do next that could be a turning point. In 2017, I applied again and also did not get accepted into the program. By the time 2018 came around, I did not want to get rejected again. However, a few weeks before the deadline after self-talk, I knew I had to try again as this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. When I found out I actually made it into the 2018 Advertising Club of New York Women Fellowship, I started crying and jumping with joy exactly like the below giphy to my husband.

3. Share Your Privilege for Others to Benefit

"Those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act"

-Albert Einstein

When I was in the fellowship, it felt like living a dream and I am so thankful the Ad Club of NY invested in me to attend industry conferences for:

1. ADCOLOR: (18 Takeaways From My ADCOLOR Moment of Truth
2. Advertising Week New York
3. The 3% Movement
4. Fast Company Innovation Festival
5. SXSW: Future of Workplace Track

While I attended the conferences, I made sure to tweet about it as much as I could to share the knowledge, insights, resources, and learnings. You can follow the fellowship hashtag #acnyfellows for the latest and browse previous posts.

4. Practice Using Your Voice

"I have always believed that when you have a voice, you have an obligation to use that voice to empower others."

-Diane von Furstenberg

Growing up, I was not the loudest person in the room and I am the type to listen more before speaking. With that habit, it often is challenging to speak up or use my voice. Now, I am learning to practice using it more and strengthening it like a muscle. Through the fellowship, I was given many opportunities to practice using my voice including being featured in The Ad Club of NY's blog, Leading The Way Through Mentorship or being able to speak at the 2019 Women Master Class to introduce the keynote speaker as shown below. I have never spoken at a conference before and it was exciting to even be able to be on stage to welcome everyone. I look forward to continue using my voice and shaping my perspective.

5. Make the Practice of Lifelong Learning a Priority 

"Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you'll ever have is your mind and what you put into it."

-Brian Tracy

The more you invest in yourself, the more opportunities will arise. I have always been passionate to learn or do something new as it opens the mind to new experiences. During the fellowship, we were committed to evening workshops with PwC on topics including:

• Success Planning
• The Confidence Gap and Negotiations
• Your Personal Brand
• Asking Powerful Questions
• Speed Networking
• Relationship Building

Knowledge is power and when you nourish your mind, it becomes a valuable asset for the success of your career. As we currently live in the world of internet and searching anything within our fingertips, there should be no excuse for why we are not prioritizing learning.

6. Take the Time to Reflect

"Learning without reflection is a waste. Reflection without learning is dangerous."

-Confucius

At the end of my fellowship, they asked me to share my reflections (read more) and I greatly appreciated when they highly encouraged us to take the time to pause and journal throughout the program. Reflection is a powerful tool to bridge the knowledge into action steps and insights.

7. Always Have an Attitude of Gratitude

"Be present in all things, and thankful for all things."

-Maya Angelou

As I look back at this fellowship, I am still grateful for every moment that I have experienced. There are so many moments to be grateful for from this fellowship and the highlights include:

• Fellows: If you meet any of the other fellows, they are badass women who are killing it and it was a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by other highly ambitious mid-level women to learn from and get inspired
• Final Acceptance: that they finally picked me after the 3rd time applying thanks to Ericka Riggs for all her support to believe in me
• Recommendations: I received exceptional reference letters from Margie Parker and Tracy Keller when I applied to the program
• Ongoing Support: When I was out of the office, I received continued support from Al Benoit and Keesha Jean-Baptiste for my presence and professional development in this fellowship. I am beyond thankful for their support in me. I was also lucky to have my husband wholeheartedly be there for me to support me knowing that it was going to be a busy year ahead.

• IRL Connections: The amount of people I was able to meet in person from attending these conferences was one of my favorite parts. From virtually meeting people to connecting in real life like meeting the Mothers@Agencies coaches and alumni, the community from GirlsDay founded by Megan Colleen McGlynn was incredible. Or having the opportunity to take a picture and meeting Jay Shetty at Advertising Week definitely brings me joy.

APPLY TODAY

Applications opened on International Women Day on March 8, 2020. It’s Women History Month this month, but it should occur throughout the year to support women and open doors to break the ceilings and gender gaps previously created. I encourage you to share this fellowship opportunity with other mid-level women in the industry who you think can benefit from this program. 

Additional Reading About the Fellowship

• The ADVERTISING Club of New York Announces $100,000 Fellowship Program at Inaugural Women's Master Class Conference 
• Inside the Fellowship: The Scoop on PwC "Night School