Humber’s Public Relations Ontario graduate certificate just became more accessible.

Eight scholarships of $2,500, made possible by Bell Media, will be awarded to students who identify as Black/African, Indigenous and/or Racialized Person over the next two years.

The first two $2,500 scholarships were recently awarded to Ashley Bello and Cheyenne Bent, both in their second semester of the program.

“I was really excited about this opportunity, especially since I want to work in entertainment PR,” said Bello.

She has been involved in many initiatives and extracurricular work related to equity and diversity throughout her post-secondary career.

“I found a passion for building relationships and communicating impactfully. It’s aligned with what I want to do.”

Bello’s classmate Bent also has an interest in entertainment PR, specifically brand and crisis management.

As an athlete and former varsity soccer player, she looks forward to potentially representing other athletes and athletic organizations.

Both Bello and Bent express the desire to have a seat at the decision-making table in the future, especially since the media landscape still lacks meaningful representation of BIPOC individuals.

"My goal is to work my way up to help translate that message of diversity accurately in the media. Often, when we see people talk about inclusion, it looks like adding a couple Black or Hispanic or Indigenous people to their roster. We need to see more inclusion in upper-level roles,” said Bello.

The PR students are strong advocates for change. The new scholarships will support them in bringing their unique and valuable perspectives to the industry, which has its own work to do.

“It’s the job of allies to want to know more, to use their platform and their privilege to prop up their marginalized peers,” said Bent.

Already, Bent and Bello’s work is contributing to a more diverse and representational media landscape.