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News and Announcements

Introducing This Year’s Winner of the NY Women in Communications Award – Ciara Rolle-Harris

Posted in: School of Communication and Media News

Ciara Rolle-Harris

The School of Communication and Media is proud to announce that this year’s winner of the prestigious New York Women in Communications scholarship award is Ciara Rolle-Harris.  The award will be presented to Ciara at the 2019 Matrix Awards on Monday, May 6.

Of the student honorees, SCM’s Rolle-Harris, is among 14 women receiving a scholarship award. Rolle-Harris’ specific award is the Kaplow Scholarship and Internship, which includes an internship with the firm Kaplow Communications in Summer 2019. Judith Harrison, the President of NYWICI, has high hopes for all the student recipients. “New York Women in Communications is thrilled to recognize and celebrate our scholarship recipients for their academic achievements at this year’s Matrix Awards,” Harrison said. “These women represent the future of our industry and are all on their way to become ‘women who connect the world.’”

Rolle-Harris is no stranger to success. After graduating from Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, Rolle-Harris started at Montclair State University, and is now a rising senior studying Public Relations with a minor in Entrepreneurship. In the summer of 2018, she interned at HBO in the media relations and publicity department, and later, in Fall 2018, interned at MTV/VH1/LOGO in the communications division. Also, in the fall of 2018, Rolle-Harris was named a Forbes Under 30 scholar, due to her high achievements in the communications industry.

Currently, Rolle-Harris is a tour marketing and operations intern at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, New Jersey, and is expected to graduate from Montclair State University in 2020.

New York Women in Communications Inc. (NYWICI) was founded in 1929 as a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women and the next generation of communication professionals by providing scholarships for educational support and career guidance to inspire success. Since 2000, NYWICI has distributed over $1.7 million in scholarships to high school seniors and college students, awarded based on academic merit, need, community service, leadership roles, and a passion for experience in the communications industry, among other factors.

Every year, the NYWICI presents these scholarships at the Matrix Awards, a ceremony held by the Association for Women in Communications that started in 1970 to celebrate excellence in women’s media achievements. The 2019 Matrix Awards is hosted by Bloomberg Media Group and will be held on May 6 at the Sheraton New York Times Square in NYC, with over 1,000 attendees expected.

Along with scholarship awards presented to students, the Matrix Awards also pay tribute to top women already excelling in careers in communication and media. Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC is performing the role of master of ceremonies for the event, with Padma Lakshmi, Kate Lewis, Jeanine Liburd, Susan Magrino, Norah O’Donnell, Kathy Ring, Lisa Sherman, and Sally Susman also being recognized for their achievements in these fields.

With her NYWICI scholarship award win, Rolle-Harris wants to use the experience to inspire others. “I am truly honored to receive recognition from such an established and prestigious organization,” she said. “I believe anything can be achieved through hard work and patience. I want current freshmen and sophomores to know this can be their reality one day as well.”