The Scholarship
In memory of Bridget O’Brien’s spirt of exploring the world and forging bridges between geographies and cultures, the scholarship funds original student journalism with a global reach and local consequence.
After her last quarter at UCLA, Bridget lived with coffee farmers in Nicaragua. She documented the experience in photos and words in a feature she wrote called, “A Cooperative Cup,” published in The Bruin on March 15, 2004 and her photos were published in USA Today.
Bridget’s reporting represented the Daily Bruin at its very best — ambitious, enlightening, captivating. The scholarship committee wants Bridget’s Nicaragua trip to be a model for applicants and provide the opportunity to send Bruin photographers, reporters and other journalists on similar journeys.
Using scholarship funds, individual Bruin staffers or small teams could go to all corners of the globe to report on issues that affect UCLA. They could follow the work of UCLA researchers, report on student movements at campuses in Europe or Asia. They could visit villages in Africa or Latin America where UCLA basketball and soccer stars learned their sports. Bridget’s enterprising example should guide applicants, but don’t worry about mimicking her project.
How to Apply
Deadline: Midnight on Monday, February 22, 2010.
First: You must register with the Foundation.
Second: Please answer the following three questions and e-mail you, or your team’s, responses as a single Word document to apply@rememberingbridget.com.
If you are applying in a team, each team member should individually answer question one, but the group should submit a single answer for questions two and three.
Outline your journalistic background and ambitions. (500 words or fewer)
Please describe your project proposal. Descriptions should include destination details, the topic you want to cover and its relevance to The Bruin’s readership.
If you are applying with a team, please describe why your project proposal is appropriate for a team and explain each member's contribution.
You should research and, ideally, contact potential sources both at UCLA and abroad to ensure the feasibility of the topic. If selected, you are expected to produce work based on your application proposal. (1,500 words or fewer; one response per project)
Outline the complete travel budget and itinerary according to the best estimates possible. Costs should include transportation, lodging, equipment rental/purchases, per diem requirements and any other expenses.
Please include as much detail as possible (i.e. Web site references to support your travel estimates).
Final award amounts are flexible and at the discretion of the scholarship board, but keep in mind these budgetary guidelines: not more than $3,000 per individual or $2,000 per team member. Your estimate should be as accurate as possible; should you be chosen you will be expected to spend close to your estimated budget. Your itinerary should reflect a realistic schedule abroad, as well as your publishing schedule upon return. (One response per project)
Third: Include with with your application 3-6 work samples you feel best represent your experience as a student journalist. All materials should be submitted electronically as links, Word documents, JPEGs or PDFs to apply@rememberingbridget.com.
Requirements
- Any active Daily Bruin contributor or staff member is eligible to apply — including graduating seniors.
- The completed project must publish in the Daily Bruin within the academic year that the scholarship was awarded or the first quarter of the following year.
- 1-3 students can work on a single project.
- Proposals should focus on reporting that is ABOVE and BEYOND what The Bruin is normally able to do.
- Topics should have a clear link to UCLA and be relevant to the community.
- Photojournalism must be a primary storytelling method. Additional storytelling methods (e.g. video, multimedia, and information graphics) are encouraged and, given Bridget’s tradition of cross-training in the newsroom, proposals with numerous story-telling methods will be given priority.
- Applicants may be invited to interview with members of the Bridget O’Brien Scholarship Selection Committee on Saturday, March 13 at UCLA. The selected applicant(s) shall, prior to acceptance, receive additional terms and conditions governing the scholarship. Submit questions to info@rememberingbridget.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q. May I submit more than one application?
- No. Each student can be part of only one proposal — either as an individual or part of a team.
- Q. Is any preference given to individuals versus teams?
- The merits of each proposal are weighed independently of the number of applicants. Some projects are better served by a single student while others make sense for a team.
- Q. I am graduating this quarter — can I still apply?
- Yes, but you would need to publish your project by the end of next quarter (e.g. winter for fall graduates, spring for winter grads and the following fall for spring graduates). If you have two members on your team graduating at different times, the soonest graduating team member will dictate the schedule.