Since 2008, the Cecilia Wilkinson Memorial Scholarship has been awarded annually to a first-year graduate student at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism with an interest in corporate/investor relations and reputation management.
The endowed scholarship fund was established in memory of Cecilia Wilkinson, a PondelWilkinson founding member, who passed in 2006 after a 20-month battle with pancreatic cancer. A USC alumna, Wilkinson was a member of the USC Annenberg School for Communication Board of Councilors and served as an officer and director of Annenberg’s Communications Associates. She also was named to the Board of Governors of the USC General Alumni Association in 2004.
“With their passion, purpose and skills, these students truly embody the hope and possibility of the future,” said Willow Bay, dean at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism of the Cecilia Wilkinson Memorial Scholarship. “Your [PondelWilkinson] generosity has made a difference for our students today and tomorrow, and I am truly grateful for your enduring support and partnership.”
Below are the recipients of the Cecilia Wilkinson Memorial Scholarship award since it was first established:
- Veronica Ramirez (2025)
- Samantha Campos-Esquivel (2024)
- Emily Chae (2023)
- Andrea Gomez (2022)
- Madeline Leon (2021)
- Micaela Danielle Stevens (2020)
- Isabella Marten (2019)
- Amber Lauren Tidmore (2018)
- Lisa Curiel Parker (2017)
- Meghan Elizabeth Luera (2016)
- Eugene Dale Legaspi Jr. (2015)
- Fahad Abdul Razaq Naeem (2014)
- Amber Dawn Miller (2013)
- Anna Gaidaenko (2012)
- Samatha Kristin Wan (2011)
- Adam Joseph Bonefeste (2010)
- Rachel A. Saffitz (2009)
- Philip Edward Sokoloski (2008)
Scholarship winners also are eligible to interview for an internship with PondelWilkinson.
