Student Awarded Sports Media Scholarship

By Dan Verderosa, May 16, 2019

Danielle Pluchinsky ’21 received a New York Women in Communications scholarship at the 2019 Matrix Awards.

Danielle Pluchinsky ’21 poses with sports radio and television host Ann Liguori.

(Photo by AnnieWatt.com)

Ithaca College sophomore Danielle Pluchinsky was one of 14 young women awarded a scholarship from New York Women in Communications. A sports media student in the college’s Roy H. Park School of Communications, Pluchinsky received the Ann Liguori Foundation Sports Media Scholarship.

Each year, New York Women in Communications awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors and undergraduate and graduate students who intend to pursue or further a career in communications. The scholarships are awarded to students of academic excellence, need and a demonstrated commitment to the field of communications.

“I feel incredibly honored to win the scholarship,” said Pluchinsky. “I’m the third person in a row from Ithaca College to win this specific scholarship, so it’s an amazing feeling to be included in the same group as these other amazing women.”

Ithaca College students have been well represented among New York Women in Communications scholarship winners, with 16 recipients in the past four years.

Danielle Pluchinsky and the other New York Women in Communications scholarship recipients were honored at the Matrix Awards, which was hosted by MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski.

(Photo by AnnieWatt.com)

Pluchinsky received her scholarship in New York City on May 6 at the annual Matrix Awards, which honor outstanding women in the communications industry. MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski emceed the event. Honorees included Padma Lakshmi, Kate Lewis, Jeanine Liburd, Susan Magrino, Norah O’Donnell, Kathy Ring, Lisa Sherman and Sally Susman.

“Attending the Matrix Awards was like a dream come true,” said Pluchinsky. “Gender equality in all fields is crucial, but being able to attend an event that just honored women in communications was such an empowering feeling.”

The New York Women in Communications Foundation is the largest foundation for communications scholarships for women in the country. Since 2000, New York Women in Communications has issued more than $1.7 million in scholarship support. Scholarships are awarded annually based on academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, participation in school and community-service activities, honors and other awards or recognition, work experience, statement of goals and aspirations.

“New York Women in Communications is thrilled to recognize and celebrate our scholarship recipients for their academic achievements at this year’s Matrix Awards,” said Judith Harrison, president of New York Women in Communications and senior vice president for diversity and inclusion at Weber Shandwick. “These women represent the future of our industry and are all on their way to become ‘women who connect the world.’”