It was a regular Tuesday when I received the phone call: “Hello. May I speak to Brielle?”‍ “This is she.”‍ “Congratulations! The Public Relations Society of America Foundation and Mission North’s The Future Is… Fellowship committee proudly selects you as our inaugural fellow.

My name is Lala Badaoui, and I'm a rising senior at James Madison University, where I first discovered my passion for public relations – realized even further through my fellowship program at Mission North. Still, my journey to this point has been a unique one: I faced homelessness and adversity at age 19, and I came from a broken home. But, dreaming drove me to become a successful young woman.

My experience at Agean has been nothing short of incredible. From the very first day of the fellowship, the Agean team always made me feel welcome and like my contribution mattered. I've had the opportunity to collaborate on all types of assignments, including event planning, influencer marketing, and media pitching

The Foster the Future initiative connected me with the people and resources best suited to support my professional and educational goals. I am incredibly grateful to PRSA/PRSSA, LaunchSquad and the other participating agencies for creating this pathway for diverse students to break into the PR industry.