Leonard Slutsky, junior integrated marketing communications major, was recently named the recipient of the Steve Pacheco advertising scholarship award of $5,000. The Steve Pacheco award, named after the 2013 advertising person of the year, is administered by the Advertising Club of New York. The scholarship, presented annually, is named after the current advertising person of the year.

An award ceremony to honor the work of Steve Pacheco was held Nov. 13 at the Dream Hotel in New York City. In addition to celebrating the work of Pacheco, Slutsky was presented with his scholarship. The Advertising Club of New York awards scholarships, grants and internship opportunities to undergraduate students in the marketing, advertising and communications field who are driven to expand their knowledge and experiences.

Staff Writer Elizabeth Taylor spoke to Slutsky about his reaction when he found out he had won the Steve Pacheco scholarship, how his interest in advertising began and his experience with advertising.

Elizabeth Taylor: How did you hear about the award?

Leonard Slutsky: My professor [Scott] Hamula, chair of the integrated marketing and communications department, does a really good job of keeping everyone in the major up to date about what’s going on in the industry. He sent out an email about the scholarship and said, ‘If you’re interested, you should apply.’ I applied. It required an essay, resume and a recommendation from a professor, and a couple weeks later I was very fortunate and excited to find out that I won the award.

ET: What sparked your interest in advertising?

LS:  In high school, a lot of my friends were involved with theater, and I never had theater talent. I couldn’t sing, I couldn’t dance, but I wanted to be involved in what they were doing. So I helped out by doing publicity for the shows. That involved doing press releases, meeting with the media and arranging for photos to go on the website. I found out that I really enjoyed publicity because it helped take the work everyone was doing and put it center stage, give it a lot of attention, so people could come see it and enjoy it. After I become exposed to advertising, I discovered I really enjoyed it, and I was interested in consumer behavior and psychology. It just seemed like a right fit.

ET: Have you been involved in any advertising on campus?

LS: I co-founded Take Back the Tap, which is an environmental group on campus. I think one of the reasons it was so successful was because we used advertising and marketing principles to accomplish our goals. We had events on campus that we promoted through posters and through different marketing and communications channels.

ET: Has this award helped you to learn more about advertising?

LS: I definitely recommend the Advertising Club of New York as a great organization for people to be involved in. At the [award] ceremony, there was a lot of agency professionals there. It was a great opportunity to network and to learn things that they don’t necessarily teach in the classroom. The Advertising Club of New York has given me opportunities to broaden my perspectives and to learn more about the industry. I definitely recommend people who are interested in the industry to go to their events.