Written by Wahida Gardizi
The CPRS Vancouver Student Scholarship is awarded each year to a student who submits excellent project work for a real-world client. Many of our past recipients received job offers as result of the award. The winner is awarded a one-time $2000 prize.
Students who apply for the scholarship must:
- Be a current student member of CPRS Vancouver; and
- Be enrolled in a public relations or communications program in the Lower Mainland or Fraser Valley.
A brief history of how this scholarship award came about
Local scholarship was established after the Former CPRS Vancouver member Dean Miller. For Miller, it all started in 1939 when he got permission from his high school principal to use the Gestetner printer to produce a local newspaper for Keremeos. In 1950 he began his career in public relations and eventually became the founder of Western Press Clippings.
Bowdens Media Monitoring has been a sponsor of the CPRS Scholarship program since 1998. Today public relations professionals continue to rely on this company to provide services that help distribute, monitor, and analyze external communications.
Some of the past winners include
2002, Amanda Malone
After winning the Dean Miller scholarship, Ms Malone went on to win the National CPRS Award that same year. As a full-time student at Kwantlan she volunteered her communications expertise to both A Loving Spoonful and Quest Outreach Society.
2001, Amelia Kathryn Kennedy
After graduating from the PR program at Kwantlen University College, Ms Kennedy accepted a position in the Marketing Department of Panago Pizza. Presently, she works with Whistler Blackcomb as Strategic Communications Coordinator. In August she will be returning to school to complete a BA in Applied Communications from Royal Roads.
1999, Monisha Khanna
After graduation in 1999, Ms Khanna was recruited by and worked for Edelman Public Relations—one of the top international PR firms located in the Silicon Valley. Currently, she is the PR Manager for a well-known Canadian digital imaging software company called ACD Systems.
Winner of the 2019 CPRS Vancouver Student Scholarship will be announced at the upcoming AGM on June 13, 2019.
About the Author
Wahida Gardizi holds a Master degree in International Public Relations and Global Communication from Cardiff University with a BA in Criminology from SFU. She runs her own consultancy business in PR and Comms and enjoys her time volunteering in not-for-profit organization with YWIB Vancouver. She has a drive and passion for continuous learning. Twitter: @wgardizi Website: wgcommunication.com