Esther Raty, a junior News Media student in the Communications program, recently received the largest scholarship offered by the Broadcast Education Association (BEA). The BEA is a national group supporting students pursuing an education in broadcasting.
Raty is one of nine students across the nation who has been awarded scholarships from the BEA for 2016-2017. The winners were announced November 21 in Washington D.C.
Raty believes what helped her stand apart from other candidates is her interest in radio. “A lot of opportunities have opened up for me now. I have a dream of interning in D.C. for National Public Radio (NPR) as soon as I graduate.”
The scholarship came unexpectedly for Raty. “When I received the letter in the mail that I got the full scholarship I remember crying,” she said. “At the bottom of the scholarship letter the donors had written, ‘We are very impressed with your accomplishments,’ which made me feel like someone was really looking out for my career and wanted me to succeed.”
BYU students regularly compete and win awards in the BEA Festival of Media Arts. Heather Birks, executive director of BEA said, “I was thrilled to see a BYU student as the recipient for our largest scholarship. Because I personally know several BYU faculty members, and how dedicated they are to teaching, it’s no surprise how well BYU students do in our competitions year after year.”
Next year’s BEA scholarship competition begins in February 2016. More information can be found on www.beaweb.org.
-by Clarissa Young