Jayla Washington, a junior at Florida A&M University majoring in accounting, has been selected by Cricket Wireless for the 2023 class of its Cricket HBCU Campus Ambassador program.
As a Cricket ambassador Washington will be able to expand her network, create campaigns that generate enthusiasm for the Cricket Wireless brand, and strengthen her own marketing skills.
As an HBCU campus ambassador Washington becomes a representative for the Cricket brand as she works to gain traction and support from the Black community while advocating for HBCU students.
“As a Cricket Wireless Campus Ambassador, I use this privilege to speak up on behalf of students who aren’t sitting at these tables,” the Jacksonville native said. “I utilize my voice to emphasize what we need as HBCU students, expressing the need for scholarships and authentic interactions with companies. I make sure I’m always heard and pushing for change.”
P.J. Parr, lead marketing manager at Cricket Wireless, sees Washington as an asset for the company.
“It is an honor to support the next generation of Black leaders on their journey to successful careers in marketing and beyond,” Parr said in a release. “Jayla has truly impressed us with her dedication to both her academics and community and we can’t wait to see what she accomplishes.”
Washington is able to collaborate with a major corporation and gain skills outside of her major.
“Cricket has given me the opportunity to step into a role that I may not have been exposed to if I wasn’t an ambassador. What excites me the most about the results of the role is my career expansion. I’m an accounting student which is a straight-forward career, but after being an ambassador I realized that I have so much more creativity within myself that is worth sharing,” Washington said.
Her new role has had already produced benefits for Washington.
“Being a Cricket Wireless campus ambassador has opened the door to so many possibilities. As an ambassador I’ve been flown to Atlanta three times staying in four-star hotels with everything paid for,” Washington said. “Not to mention we all received iPhone 13s with full-paid Cricket service while I’m an ambassador. Passing by this opportunity would’ve been a horrible mistake.”
Washington urges her classmates at FAMU to apply for similar positions when they become available.
“Sometimes we tend to overlook opportunities that could eventually be greater than what we imagined,” she said.