RTDNF Canada and CBC Announce Inaugural David Suzuki Scholarship Recipient

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

RTDNF Canada and CBC Announce Inaugural David Suzuki Scholarship Recipient

TORONTO, ON — CBC and RTDNF Canada are pleased to announce that Tharsha Ravichakaravarthy from Seneca Polytechnic has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the CBC David Suzuki Scholarship.

Named for the world-renowned Canadian environmentalist and science broadcaster, the $5,000 scholarship recognizes students from racialized communities with a demonstrated interest in science journalism who are in their final year of a college or university journalism program. 

“We are pleased to award the first-ever David Suzuki scholarship to Tharsha Ravichakaravarthy of Seneca College for her excellent and well-crafted entry,” said Bill Amos, President of RTDNF.

“Inspired by the impactful work of the legendary host of The Nature of Things, we created the CBC David Suzuki Scholarship to encourage racialized students to enter the field of science journalism and help us make sense of our rapidly changing environment,” said Barbara Williams, Executive Vice-President, CBC. “Congratulations to Tharsha on being named the inaugural recipient, and our best wishes as she embarks on her journalism career.”

“The Nature of Things has been a credible and respected platform to provide Canadians with profound insights into how totally dependent we are on Nature for air, water, soil and food and sunlight for energy. For our survival and well-being, we must understand that whatever we do to the planet, we do directly to ourselves. We need more people in journalism who understand that reality and wish to embed that knowledge in the stories they tell, and I am honoured to have a scholarship for young people who want to communicate with the public. Congratulations to Tharsha on receiving the first annual CBC David Suzuki Scholarship,” said David Suzuki.

Ravichakaravarthy has an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto, with a double major in Global Health and Statistics, and recently completed a journalism diploma at Seneca Polytechnic, where she made the President’s Honour List and received the Susan Anton Clark Award, Bob Hesketh Memorial Award and the Canadian Journalism Foundation’s Narcity News Creator Fellowship. She worked as a clinical researcher in oncology and planetary health before pursuing a career in journalism.

Suzuki hosted CBC flagship science show, and Canada’s longest-running documentary series, The Nature of Things, for 43 years, retiring in 2023. He has authored more than 50 books, received several honorary degrees and awards, and has been recognized by the UN for his environmental leadership. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Companion of the Order of Canada, and also founded the non-profit David Suzuki Foundation.

Established in 1978, RTDNF Canada offers financial assistance to students studying electronic journalism and has granted more than $500,000 in scholarships thus far.