2008 Ruth Hammond Scholarship Winner Announced
Toronto, Ontario – Alejandra (Alex) Dimas, Vancouver, British Columbia, is the 2008 winner of the Ruth Hammond Scholarship, awarded annually to a public relations student in their final year of the Bachelor of Public Relations program at Mount Saint Vincent University (The Mount), Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Dimas attended Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey, for two years before transferring to MSVU in 2006 where she will graduate in 2009. She has been the recipient of the Wendy’s Classic Achiever Scholarship Award and Enver Creek Secondary’s Outstanding Service Award, as well as, MSVU’s In-Course Merit award.
She completed her second co-op work term with WestStone Properties, Langley, as a sales and marketing co-ordinator. Among many projects, Dimas assisted in the launch of an exclusive collection of luxury townhomes and the re-launch of a $1 billion nine acre master-planned community in Surrey’s City Centre, recently tagged as “the new great metro centre of British Columbia” by the provincial government.
“A consummate professional, Alex is a visionary thinker and a take charge person,” says Michelle Mackay, Vice President, Marketing, WestStone Properties. “She carried out an in-depth corporate communications audit for us, wrote speeches for our senior executives and conducted a research project on sustainability. We are delighted to have her back with us for her third co-op work term.”
In her first work term, Dimas was a new business/account co-ordinator with James Hoggan and Associates, Vancouver, where she assisted in co-ordinating a national campaign for A&W Canada. She has also been a communications assistant for The Mount’s Public Affairs Office.
In addition to her co-op works terms, Alex has created a communications plan for Halifax’s YMCA, developed a media kit for Voice Print Canada and has written speeches, op-ed pieces and issues position papers.
Fluent in Spanish, she is secretary of the TheMount’s Public Relations Society, and was a presenter at the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Halifax Gemstone Awards.
Mount Saint Vincent University is recognized for its academic excellence and creative learning approaches. With approximately 4,500 students from across Canada and around the globe, it offers 35 undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, sciences and an array of professional programs.
The Ruth Hammond Scholarship was established by Ms. Hammond’s friends and colleagues in the Canadian Public Relations Society (Toronto) to honour her lifetime commitment to public relations
education in Canada. The Scholarship, currently awarded by MSVU, acknowledges 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.
The Ruth Hammond Scholarship monies are managed by the Communications and Public Relations Foundation. The Foundation promotes the advancement of communications and public relations as
vital functions in society, is dedicated to the public interest, and is committed to increasing public knowledge and awareness of the role of communications and public relations in daily life. The Foundation accepts individual and corporate contributions towards research and educational initiatives nationwide.
For more information about the Foundation and its public relations educational initiatives, contact Barbara Sheffield, Chair, Communications and Public Relations Foundation, Suite 1515, 73 Widdicombe Hill Blvd., Toronto, Ontario, M9R 4B3, or phone 416 242-6146 or e-mail foundation@prmediaconnection.com.
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Contact:
Barbara Sheffield, APR, Fellow CPRS
(416) 242-6146
foundation@prmediaconnection.com
