DETROIT – Chevrolet and the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) have concluded the seventhyear of Discover the Unexpected (DTU), a 10-week immersive internship and scholarship program for 10HBCU students to explore marketing roles focused on Chevrolet’s innovative vehicles and community-based journalism with the NNPA.
“Chevrolet is proud to continue our collaboration with the NNPA for DTU, providing HBCU students an opportunity to develop career skills while gaining valuable on-the-job knowledge,” said Steve Majoros, chief marketing officer, Chevrolet. “We hope this is a life changing experience for the fellows that will be carried with them throughout their careers.”
During this year’s DTU program, students took a road trip in the all-new 2024 Chevy Trax to create content around the vehicle’s array of safety features, such as Chevy Safety Assist* — a standard suite of six advanced features designed to help keep occupants safe on the road. The Marketing fellows drove impact within the Chevrolet brand through contributions on the Social, Cars/Crossover, Experiential and CRM teams. Other immersive experiences included the NNPA National Convention, Tennessee State University DTU content shoot, MLB Swingman Classic attendance with player interview opportunities and a Chevrolet Ride and Drive behind the scenes opportunity.
The 2023 DTU mentors, all of them HBCU graduates, included Terrence Jenkins (Terrence J), STEM advocate Justin “Mr. Fascinate” Shaifer, and ESPN sports journalist and HBCU Southwestern Athletic Conference alum Tiffany Greene. Mentors shared valuable marketing and communications insights to guide fellows throughout their college and career journey. Additionally, publicist and content creator Brandi Merriweather, socially known as TheGenZPublicist, presented insights on how A.I. technology is being used in the media industry.
“The NNPA and Chevrolet collaboration continues to be fruitful as we foster the next generation of aspiring journalists and infuse our newspapers with great talent,” said NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. “Our publishers provide platforms serving as the community voice, allowing students to bring a future generation perspective to help bridge traditional and new storytelling.”
To date, DTU has provided 59 HBCU students from 22 different HBCUs with more than $750,000 in scholarships and stipends. Of the past DTU students, three have been hired into GM, one returned as a 2023 GM intern, and more are working for NNPA publications, aiding in a diverse pipeline of talent. Learn more about the Chevrolet Discover the Unexpected fellowship at https://www.nnpa.org/chevydtu/.