We are proud to announce that Fareed Ben-Youssef, a Film & Media Ph. D. Candidate at UC Berkeley, has won our 2015 DiversityJobs Scholarship award.
Fareed’s essay was inspirational and articulated wonderfully. The moment he watched Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ at six years old, Fareed understood he wanted to do something with the movies, “I remember thinking wow, something so horrifying, so unsettling, now that’s a career for me, that’s exciting”. As he grew older, however, he realized that “what interests me about the movies is the fact that, let’s be honest, they show us things we don’t want to see”. Perhaps the most compelling argument why Fareed chose cinema was because he felt comfortable within the art form, “I chose film because I had come to see this was a medium unlike any other, and it fit my interests, it fit my identity.” With his Ph. D., Fareed eventually hopes to find new ways to share his passion for film, and perhaps help others become more critically engaged.
Fareed’s intelligence, selflessness, and obvious drive will no doubt allow his success in his chosen career as an Academic.
The seven finalists – Rachel Wong, Adedamola Ladipo, Fareed Ben-Youssef, Taji Hutchins, Tara Larkin, Scott Hunter and Samra Cordic – were selected from thousands of other applicants for their dedication to learning, desire to make a positive impact on the world, and how their incredible stories have helped mold their future career paths. Choosing one winner was an incredibly difficult decision considering the exceptional student applicants and quality of their essays.
We want to thank our site visitors and all who voted to help us select a winner. The support shown through positive comments left for these students affirms both their career paths and the wonderful impact they already have on the lives of others.
To apply for the next DiversityJobs Scholarship, visit the scholarship page and check if your school has registered for the program.