Lisa Davidson Memorial Scholarship Program

The Print Interactive Radio and Television Educational Society (PIRATES) is a nonprofit organization made up of community affairs directors from radio and television stations,representatives of print publications, and public relations professionals from nonprofit agencies throughout Southern California.

Since 1972, PIRATES has been sponsoring the Lisa Davidson Memorial Scholarship program for current sophomores and juniors majoring in communications, journalism, radio or television at a four-year Southern California college or university. This scholarship is named in memory of Lisa A. Davidson, a gifted public service coordinator at KNBC-TV and PIRATES member, who died tragically at a young age in an automobile accident.

The purpose of this scholarship program is to recognize outstanding students who have excellent potential for improving the lives of people in Southern California through a communications career.

Lisa Davidson Memorial Scholarships are supported by contributions to the Ruth Collander Endowment Fund.

This scholarship award will be distributed in two installments:

• September 2013
• January 2014

PIRATES (Print Interactive Radio & Television Educational Society) is dedicated to helping nonprofits to more effectively work with the media. It is the only L.A. area association that offers regular opportunities for nonprofits, the media, and other communications professionals to network.

1. Complete the application. Click Here for Application
2. Submit a minimum of two or a maximum of three letters of recommendation from a professor, department chair, community organization or employer.
3. Submit a copy of official college or university transcripts indicating ALL courses taken.
4. Submit samples of printed, audio, video or other materials which demonstrate your communications ability. Samples will not be returned.

Lisa Davidson Memorial Scholarship Winner 2012-2013

Nicole Fukuoka greatest strength in school has always been her ability to maximize the power of words.  Since elementary school, she loved bringing pen to paper to tell stories about relevant social issues.  That passion evolved into an interest in current events, and in high school she started dabbling in journalism.  Nichole made her hobby her future career choice, by choosing to study broadcast journalism in college.  She did so because she believes that journalists are storytellers who have the potential to make a major impact on society. 

Nicole's view of the communications industry and its role in today's society:
"While all of my professors have been warning their classes about the end of the "good old days" of journalism, I believe that I am entering the industry at an opportune time.  The advent of the Internet has definitely posed some challenges in the way the industry used to run, and has forced all mediums of journalism to catch up with the times.  However, as a child of the electronic age, I am excited to be part of the forefront of the evolution of reporting that is about to take place.  I wholeheartedly feel that there will always be a need for the publication of current events, and that the Internet is an innovative platform to help reporters disseminate their stories.  Although some people feel that journalism will be weeded out by the growing popularity of blogging and social media, I think that the quality, methodical, and accurate reporting will always be preferable to the slanted, untrustworthy nature of the blogosphere.  Without journalism, the general public would be blind to foreign and domestic affairs that have major impacts on their everyday lives.  It has always played a pivotal role in keeping the masses abreast to important societal issues, and even with its 21st Century facelift, journalism will always be a necessary information service to the people."

Nichole attends USC and majors in broadcast journalism with a 3.8 grade point average.  Currently she is a freelance reporter for ConnecTV.com and most recently she was a journalism intern at KNBC (Sept., 2011 - April 2012) as well as a reporter and multimedia journalist at Annenberg Television News (Aug., 2010 - April 2012).