Three exceptional young Canadians have won the 2025 Ruth Hancock Foundation Scholarships, awarded to applicants who demonstrate strong character and leadership qualities, a willingness to assist others and a genuine interest in pursuing a broadcasting career. Their commitment is reflected in their descriptions of the life events and employment experiences that influenced them to pursue a career in broadcasting. Saron Ghebressellassie, Emily Hunter and Alyce Lyn Pumphrey are this year’s award recipients, and have each received a $1,500 scholarship.
Sponsored by the Broadcast Executives Society (BES), the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) and the Canadian Association of Broadcast Representatives (CABR), the Ruth Hancock Scholarships are designed to encourage talented, hard working students to pursue careers in Canadian broadcasting or broadcast sales/marketing.
Saron Ghebressellassie is a Masters of Education Candidate at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto and has received a B.A. in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson University. She has been recognized for her intelligence and commended for her hard work in her studies and with numerous student groups. For instance, Saron served for four years as Vice-President of Communications with the United Black Students at Ryerson. She has also been honoured publicly many times this year, including being one of the “Top 80 Women to Watch” in the May issue of Chatelaine magazine and receiving the National President’s Award from Ryerson University. As a journalist in Canada, Saron intends to use the “powerful and versatile tool” of television to provide “consciousness-raising and thought-provoking material to challenge social stereotypes and promote diversity.”
Emily Hunter, in her second year of Journalism at the University of Toronto, intends to be a broadcast journalist and sees journalism as a form of “civil activism”. She was initially inspired to pursue the profession by her father, who covered the environment beat for Citytv Toronto. More recently, Emily joined several environmental campaigns “documenting the efforts of such groups as Sea Shepherd in a Galapagos conservation campaign and several anti-whaling campaigns in Antarctica.” She then discussed her footage with various media outlets and produced a one-hour documentary about the anti-whaling campaign 2025 with Citytv. During this time, she became aware of “journalism’s role in society, its power, its ability, and its responsibility.”
Alyce Lyn Pumphrey is a graduate student in a Special Individualized Program at Concordia University. She’s been multitasking this year by producing a documentary, creating an interactive website and writing a Master’s thesis, while at the same time completing a Journalism Diploma and a Public Relations Certificate. She has already completed Concordia’s Specialization in Communications with a Minor in Electroacoustic Studies. Described as a person with a tremendous work ethic and a commitment to excellence, she has received accolades for her contributions to a wide range of projects within the post-secondary environment – in both radio and television – and from media professionals who have worked with her, including the sports news team at Global Television Quebec.
Ruth Hancock was universally admired in the Canadian broadcasting industry for her diligence, enthusiasm, fair-minded approach and willingness to help others personally and professionally. For 12 years she was manager of the Toronto office of the CAB, and executive secretary of both the BES and the Central Canada Broadcasters’ Association. In 1973, Ruth Hancock joined the CTV Network as Director of Promotion and Public Relations, and was appointed that same year as the executive assistant to the President of CTV. She passed away in December of 1973. The criteria on which applicants are judged best exemplify the admirable qualities of Ruth Hancock.
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