Sydney, 2006 — Photo by Bridget

“The more of the world I see, the better I am as a journalist. … And the more I work as a journalist, the more analytically I view the world as I travel.”

— Bridget O’Brien (1981-2007)

2009 scholarship recipients bound for Peru

January 10, 2009

The Bridget O’Brien Scholarship Foundation selected its 2009 scholarship recipients today. Will Weiss and Kimberly Lajcik will travel to Peru this summer to investigate the many facets of UCLA’s archaeological research in the country.

The selection of Will and Kimberly follows the publication this past fall of scholarship-funded Daily Bruin projects on the production and sale of UCLA merchandise in China and the challenges facing UCLA researchers in the battle against HIV/AIDS in Thailand.

“Will and Kim organized what we believe will be another excellent project for the Daily Bruin,” said Kelly Rayburn, a founding member of the Bridget O’Brien Scholarship Foundation. “Our inaugural recipients did an amazing job last year, and we are exciting to carry our foundation’s mission forward with another team of outstanding student journalists this year.”

The Bridget O’Brien Scholarship Foundation was created following the tragic passing at age 26 of Daily Bruin alumna and professional photographer Bridget O’Brien, whose own international reporting on fair trade coffee farms while she was a student working at the Daily Bruin was published in USA Today and helped launch her professional career. It is the foundation’s hope to help honor Bridget’s memory by funding original student journalism projects with a global reach and local consequence.

Apply

Applications are due Friday, February 3

Each school year, eligible students may submit a project proposal to the scholarship selection committee. Recipients will be granted the funding and resources to complete their project within the academic year. Learn more about the application process »

About the Foundation

This foundation was created in memory of Bridget O’Brien, a talented young photojournalist who dedicated her life to storytelling. While at UCLA, her work represented student journalism at its very best — ambitious, enlightening, captivating. After graduation, she pursued her passion across the globe until her death in 2007. She will always be a reminder that we can change the world through a little bit of adventure and a whole lot of honesty.