Five journalism students receive the Joan Donaldson CBC News Scholarship

Wong recalls he was working on a story when he got the call, confirming his place as a recipient. “I jumped in excitement. Mark Mietkiewicz (CBC’s internship coordinator) had to calm me down so that we could talk through the logistics,” he says.

“This scholarship gives me an opportunity to showcase and develop my skills in a range of beats and mediums alongside some of the most talented journalists at CBC – and, overall just provides a solid start to my career out of graduation,” says Wong.

This scholarship honors Joan Donaldson (external link) , a highly respected journalist who was the founding Head of Newsworld (now CBC News Network) responsible for the development and operation of the network.

This summer, 13 aspiring journalists from across the country have been chosen to work for 16 weeks across all platforms (digital, radio and television).

Rafique said she has been dreaming about receiving this scholarship since she started journalism school. “This scholarship felt like the universe telling me that all of my hard work really has paid off,” she said. “It makes me feel so proud to be a TMU School of Journalism graduate, and proud to be representing TMU alongside my talented peers.”

Although Rafique has already been working at CBC (she started at Dragons’ Den last summer), she said this is a special honour. “As a person of colour, this scholarship gives me an opportunity to prove myself in the newsroom in a way I previously might not have been able to,” she says.

The recipients went through a first round of interviews as assistant professor Angela Misri helped select the shortlist. She says she was impressed with all the applicants and found their work to be exceptional.

Misri went through the process once before although she was on the other side as a journalism student at Western University. Although she wasn’t shortlisted, she worked at CBC for 14 years.

DeGasperis said she applied so she could gain experience in a regional newsroom. “It’s not often that you get to travel somewhere entirely new and find stories. Also, just having the chance to learn from talented, experienced journalists is something I’m incredibly grateful for,” DeGasperis says.

Bamaniya is also looking forward to experiencing a couple of different newsrooms over the summer. “(It) will help push my career forward and give me the opportunity to learn more about the different bureaus at CBC.”

Misri’s advice to this year’s recipients is to “be a sponge … absorb everything! Don't just stay on the floor you're told to stay on … you can network with everyone. You never know when an opportunity might pop up for you.”