Khadija Lee

Khadija Lee of Kitchener, Ont. is the 2012 winner of the Lou Cahill Scholarship in Communications awarded by Brock. The Scholarship is awarded to a communications student in the final year of study for academic excellence, community involvement and participation in charitable activities.

The Scholarship was established to honour Lou Cahill, the founder of Enterprise Canada, the country’s longest-operating public relations firm. An icon of the Canadian public relations industry, Lou Cahill died in November 2008 at the age of 94. He held an honorary doctoral degree from Brock.

“We are delighted that Khadija has received the Lou Cahill Scholarship in Communications,” said Barbara Fox, Enterprise Canada President and Chief Executive Officer. “Lou Cahill would have been proud of her community involvement and commitment to charitable service.”

According to Jennifer Good, associate professor of Communication, Popular Culture and Film at Brock, “Khadija looked for everything she could possibly get from her education experience and gave so much to the rest of us in the process.”

Lee has been a communication assistant for Traverse Independence in Kitchener, where she assisted a client with an acquired brain injury with speech and communication skills by creating social environments to promote interactivity, dialogue and speech. In addition, she has provided graphic design to the Canadian Mental Health Association of Kitchener, by developing posters using semiotics to offer empowering images, graphics and texts, and has been a volunteer leader in the execution of an anti-violence campaign for youth, by raising awareness about the detrimental effects of violence. She has also been a media intern with the Predators of the Canadian Junior Football League where she was involved in promoting home games, developing inaugural programs, photography and co-ordinating media relations.

“Khadija’s passion for improving relationships among young people and her commitment to living and modeling a life of justice are remarkable,” said Dennis Gingrich, Head of Guidance, Resurrection Catholic Secondary School, Kitchener. “She is a visionary and talented young woman who will change the world around her.”

In addition to the Lou Cahill Scholarship, Lee received the Louris De Costa Scholarship for her academic and volunteer achievements and was honoured by a letter of appreciation from former MPP Elizabeth Witmer for her outstanding volunteering in the Kitchener-Waterloo community.

The Lou Cahill Scholarship is managed by the Communications + 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.

Applications for the annual Lou Cahill Scholarship in Communications, valued at $1,250 for eligible graduating students from the Department of Communications, Popular Culture and Film at Brock University are available from the University’s Student Awards and Financial Aid Office. Scholarship winners have an opportunity to participate in a four-month internship with Enterprise Canada following graduation.

For more information about the award, please visit Student Awards and Financial Aid.