Three and a half years ago, when my sister and her husband were killed in a car accident, my family specifically asked that friends and relatives not send flowers. Bridget would have thought it wasteful and silly. Instead, we decided to set up a scholarship in her name and thus the Bridget O’Brien Scholarship Foundation was born.
Bridget and Hayden, Paris 2006
Bridget was an incredibly passionate and curious individual. About photography, journalism, travel, learning, and adventure. In her short 26 years she traveled and lived around the world while producing stories for Newsday, USA Today and the New York Times.
The Bridget O’Brien Scholarship was created both to honor its namesake and to encourage other student journalists to look beyond their immediate surroundings for relevant and captivating stories.
Each year, two staff members from the UCLA Daily Bruin are sent abroad to report on a global story that has local relevance to the UCLA Community.
In the past three years the Foundation has sent teams to:
China – to see how the popular UCLA brand clothing line influences perceptions of the U.S. and UCLA.
Thailand – to report on the progress of UCLA doctors researching and treating the AIDS epidemic in Southeast Asia.
Peru – to explore the work of UCLA archaeologists in their effort to empower locals to preserve and celebrate their ancient history and culture.
This year the Scholarship was awarded to Matt Stevens and Maya Sugarman, who will spend four weeks this summer in Yaounde, Cameroon. They will report on international basketball recruitment practices and how basketball is shaping the culture and future of Cameroonians. Two former star UCLA basketball players hail from Yaounde and have since returned home to start children’s camps and enter into the national political scene.
Matt and Maya receiving the Scholarship
Matt and Maya have shown incredible enthusiasm for this project and we look forward to what will surely be a compelling story when published in the Daily Bruin this fall.
Representing the O’Brien Fam: Dad, Aunt Jonella and me
Congratulations Matt and Maya!
