For immediate release

Not ONE but TWO, Kwantlen PR Grads Win Coveted Award from CPRS Vancouver

METRO VANCOUVER, BC – (June 28, 2011) – Kwantlen public relations students, Lydia Frey and Lesley Chang, were awarded the highly coveted 2011 Dean Miller - Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Scholarship during the CPRS Vancouver Annual General Meeting on June 22.

The award recognizes excellence in professional communications as well as volunteer contributions to the community and the PR profession. Normally only one scholarship is awarded each year, however in an unprecedented move, the CPRS recognized not one, but two students. The selection committee was so impressed with each of the Kwantlen PR students that they decided to award both students the prestigious $1000 industry scholarship.

“I design my classroom projects to provide students with real life exposure to PR practice,” says Kwantlen Media Relations faculty member, Marsha D’Angelo. “Both students displayed exemplary understanding of how media relations can generate positive publicity for an organization. Lydia’s team created a targeted approach to bloggers that garnered positive blog posts for their client, Oz Designs; while Lesley’s team managed to secure front page coverage on the Vancouver Sun and national television exposure for their client, the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS).”

Kwantlen PR students have an intense two-year, full-time program in media relations, PR writing, marketing, organizational communication, issues management & crisis response. Students conduct a special event fundraiser for a non-profit and have raised as much as $12,000 for such charities as: BC Cancer Agency, BCSPCA, Covenant House, BC Professional Firefighter's Burn Fund, and the Cinderella Project.

Founded in 1959, CPRS Vancouver is a networking and professional development organization serving public relations and communications practitioners in British Columbia.  Members belong to corporations, government, not-for-profit organizations, associations, health care, education, public relations agencies and independent consultancies.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been serving the Metro Vancouver region for 30 years, and has opened doors to success for more than 200,000 people. Four campuses—Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale and Langley—offer a comprehensive range of sought-after programs, including business, liberal arts and science, design, health, trades and technology, apprenticeships, horticulture, and academic and career advancement. Over 17,000 students annually have a choice from over 135 programs, including bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates and citations.

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For more information on CPRS, visit: www.cprsvancouver.com

For more information about Kwantlen, contact:
Joanne Saunders
Director, Marketing and Communications
Tel: 604.599.2243
joanne.saunders@kwantlen.ca