OHIO journalism senior Singh awarded the 2020 PRSA Diversity Multicultural Scholarship

Ohio University student Hardika Singh was awarded the 2020 PRSA Diversity Multicultural Scholarship. The scholarship, which only awards two $1,500 scholarships, was established by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) to assist and recognize young adults for outstanding academic achievement and commitment to the practice of public relations.

“I am extremely fortunate to have won this scholarship,” Singh said. “I know that when I applied for it back in May, I was feeling down because of coronavirus, but winning this scholarship has really took a lot of strain off my shoulders and will allow me to focus more on doing well in school rather than worrying about finances. Additionally, it feels great to be recognized for my diversity efforts by the best PR professional organization out there.”

Singh, a senior journalism (news and information track) major, is heavily involved practicing her journalism and public relations skills through her role as a business and entrepreneurship reporter for OHIO’s Voinovich School, being involved with OHIO’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter, as well as previously having worked as a sports broadcast reporter for WOUB-TV's Gridiron Glory and Hardwood Heroes, where she learned valuable video and audio producing and editing skills.

Aside from these experiences, Singh also participated in PRSSA’s Bateman Case Study Competition where she was a data analyst who surveyed 249 students, conducted focus groups and visualized data. She worked with a team of five to script, create and digitally distribute videos for the campaign. The team received an honorable mention out of 60 competing teams.

“I love attending the speaker series through Scripps’ PRSSA,” Singh added. “I think PRSSA does a great job of inviting speakers from a realm of fields – government, agency, banking, etc. to connect with and teach students, and being a part of the Bateman team was also very valuable, allowing me to learn how to communicate and distribute information to an audience in various ways.”

Singh credits the Voinovich School for allowing her to gain the skills and experience possible to help achieve success in winning this scholarship.

​“Hardika is immensely talented and we are honored to count her as part of the Voinovich Undergraduate Research Scholar communications team over the past two years,” Communication Specialist for the Voinovich School Laura Alloway said. “She is incredibly deserving of this scholarship, and I have no doubt that she will excel in her future career.”

To be considered for the scholarship, Singh was required to submit an essay explaining why diversity matters to the public relations industry and the significance of having a diverse workforce. This scholarship was extra special for Singh to apply for since it is one of the few scholarships that does not require a U.S. citizenship, since she is an international student from India.

“As a woman of color myself, I want to make sure that other minority voices are heard,” Singh said. “I believe true change can come only when we are ready to stop being polite and are able to convey our complaints openly. I know we are in dire need of change and we need to be better about hiring a diverse force because it's high time.”

All PRSA scholarship recipients will be recognized during the PRSSA Awards Ceremony during PRSA ICON 2020 from Oct. 26-29. ICON 2020 is PRSA’s first-ever virtual International Conference that will provide digital networking and educational events for professional communicators across all continents, all industries and in all stages of their professional journey.