Four Carleton journalism students are joining the CBC this summer as Joan Donaldson Scholars: Eesha Affan (BJ4), Ben Andrews (MJ2), Safiyah Marhnouj (BJ4) and Cassandra Yanez-Leyton (MJ2).
Safiyah Marnouj
The competitive summer program offers 12 students from journalism programs across Canada the opportunity to gain experience working with the public broadcaster. Carleton’s students make up a third of this year’s class of scholars, more than any other journalism school in the country.
“It’s hard to put into words how much this scholarship means to me. I’m extremely honoured and humbled and I can hardly contain my excitement,” said Marhnouj, who added she grew up reading, watching and listening to CBC News. “Having the chance to join the newsroom and learn from some of the greatest journalists in the country is a dream come true.
Eesha Affan
“I’ve looked up to so many incredible journalists at the CBC, and in recent years, reporters like Ginella Massa have inspired me to continue to find my place in journalism despite the challenges. I can’t wait to see where this scholarship takes me.”
Marhnouj was selected earlier this year for a mentorship with the Globe and Mail’s Ottawa bureau. Her work has also been published in the Charlatan, Capital Current, Ottawa Citizen, Canadian Geographic.
Affan is currently working on a project within the School of Journalism to help tell the story of Journalist-in-Residence Farida Nekzad, who joined the school in December after fleeing Afghanistan with her daughter and brother-in-law.
“I’m super grateful that CBC has given me this opportunity,” Affan said. “I feel like I will learn so much and make some real progress in building my career at this internship.”
Asked what the scholarship means to her, Affan said, “Honestly, a little beyond words. This is beyond everything I could have hoped for when I entered journalism.”
Ben Andrews
Last month Andrews was covering the truck convoy occupation downtown for CBC News in Ottawa. He has also worked for Cabin Radio in Yellowknife while completing his Master of Journalism.
“To me, the Donaldson means an opportunity to explore different approaches to journalism, from network radio to web writing, and from breaking news to investigation,” Andrews said. “It means a chance to find and tell stories from different places across Canada.”
Yanez-Leyton is currently working on a project with Prof. Matthew Pearson and CBC journalist Dave Seglins, investigating journalists’ mental health and experiences of trauma. As she digs into her own final research project for the Master of Journalism – an audio documentary about the lobster fishing dispute in Nova Scotia – the trilingual reporter said she joined the program because she liked writing and listening to people’s stories.
“Receiving this scholarship has been incredibly validating,” Yanez-Leyton said. “I feel like I’ve been put to the test over and over again since starting the program at Carleton and it feels good to know that work is all worth something to Canada’s public broadcaster.”
Cassandra Yanez-Leyton
Joan Donaldson Scholars are finishing their final years in undergraduate or graduate Canadian journalism programs, and they are first recommended by their universities. At Carleton, applications were reviewed by a committee of faculty members who shared their recommendations with the CBC in the fall.
“I could not be more excited for this team of reporters,” said Prof. Trish Audette-Longo, who chairs the faculty’s awards committee.
“Students in our program find ways to tell great stories across platforms and to do work that matters. Eesha, Ben, Safiyah and Cassandra worked so hard to prepare for this opportunity, and this is an excellent kickstart for their careers.”
The scholarship is named for Joan Donaldson, the founding head of CBC Newsworld.
If you are entering your final year in the undergraduate or graduate journalism programs and want to know more about how to prepare to apply for the CBC-Joan Donaldson scholarship next year, send Prof. Audette-Longo an email at patricia.audettelongo@carleton.ca.
The official 2022 Donaldson announcement can be found here.
Wednesday, March 2, 2022 in General, Journalism News
Share: Twitter, Facebook
