2016 Ruth Hammond Scholarship Winner Announced

Toronto, October 27, 2016 - Karlea Lewis, Halifax, Nova Scotia, is the 2016 winner of the $1,000 Ruth Hammond Scholarship, awarded annually to a public relations student in his/her final year of the Bachelor of Public Relations program at Mount Saint Vincent University (The Mount), Halifax.  A graduate from Dalhousie University in 2014 with a double major in English and History, she is on the Dean’s list at The Mount for academic achievement.

The Ruth Hammond Scholarship was established in 1985 by Hammond’s friends and colleagues in the Canadian Public Relations Society (Toronto) to honour her commitment to public relations education in Canada.  Hammond died in 2015 at the age of 95, a pioneer in establishing public relations programs in post-secondary education.

The Scholarship recognizes a student who has completed at least two public relations co-op work terms and who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership abilities and dedication to establishing a career in the public relations field.

Currently, at her third co-op placement, Lewis is a junior communications officer for Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), Halifax, where she writes content for an internal newsletter, designs visuals for communications materials, and provides support to a variety of projects as well as assisting with event planning.

According to Aaron Bower, Senior Communications Advisor, for PSPC, Atlantic region, “Karlea’s   professionalism and polished writing skills along with the knowledge gained and skills acquired in her public relations program has led her to successfully and confidently manage complex assignments during this co-op.”

In Lewis’ second co-op placement in early 2016, she was an outreach assistant, for the Nova Scotia Department of Labour & Advanced Education, Halifax, where she planned, managed, and presented more than 50 outreach presentations about the Nova Scotia Student Assistance program. She also created social media content for Nova Scotia Student Assistance’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

Her first public relations co-op placement in late 2015 was with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia, Halifax, where she took on the role of communications co-ordinator.  There she conducted communications research, developed communications documents, conducted daily media monitoring of provincial, national and international sources, and drafted a social media strategy for the College.  

Lewis works part-time for the Dalhousie Population Cancer Research Program (Atlantic PATH) in Halifax as a registration assistant.  In addition, she is Editor-in-Chief for Symmetry, a student-run communications publication at The Mount.  She is a student member of the Canadian Public Relations Society.

Recognized for its academic excellence and creative learning approaches, The Mount offers bachelor’s degrees in arts and science, education and professional studies in addition to a number of graduate degrees and a variety of certificates and diplomas.  The university community includes 4,000 women and men from across Canada as well as students from more than 60 countries, who study on campus or through distance learning programs .
 
Contact:
Barbara Sheffield, APR, FCPRS
b.sheffield@rogers.com
416 242-6146