Fort Mill Student Selected As 'Future Leader' By Television Academy

Alexandra Cardona, of Fort Mill, SC, has been selected for the prestigious Bob Bennett Future Leaders program by the Television Academy Foundation in Hollywood. She is one of just 10 students selected amongst the Foundation’s forty summer interns for the initiative.

Cardona was chosen for the Foundation’s renowned Internship Program in Hollywood earlier this year. She is interning this summer at ATB Talent, a bicoastal talent agency representing clients in television, film and stage, through the Foundation’s program.

From Fort Mill, South Carolina, Cardona attended Nation Ford High School. She will be a senior this fall at the University of Southern California majoring in narrative studies and minoring in screenwriting and advertising.

The Bob Bennett Future Leaders program, established in 2023 by the Robert M. and Marjie Bennett Foundation, supports select students from the internship program with financial assistance, professional development and leadership training.

“It's hard to explain, but when you see amazing television and wish to be a part of it, being chosen for this internship makes me feel seen,” said Cardona. “Honestly, I wish to meet each and every Television Academy member in person just to thank them for this amazing opportunity and tell them how grateful I am."

“I am most excited about learning new aspects of agency work,” said Cardona. “I have mostly worked with scripts and writers, and to be working with agents for actors is a new and exhilarating area for me."

“My father inspired me to seek a career in television. He learned English through American television; and we would spend most of our time together watching it, discussing it and enjoying every element of it,” continued Cardona. “My dream of working in television comes hand in hand with my father's love for it. He taught me to work hard since he has always worked hard to support me and my sister. When I found out about the internship program, he was the first one I told because I owe my dream to him.”

The Television Academy Foundation shapes the art of creating television by engaging and educating the next generation of television professionals providing essential resources that help them discover their voices, refine their skills and forge rewarding careers in every sector of the television industry. The Internship Program provides over 50 students from across the nation with hands-on work experience, mentorships and opportunities for accelerated career development in more than 30 disciplines annually.

Foundation alumni include prominent writers, producers, documentarians, creative executives, network presidents and more. Interns also automatically become members of the Foundation’s alumni family giving them access to year-round events and networking opportunities as they build their careers in the industry.