Times Colonist reporter Katie DeRosa has been awarded a Rotary Foundation scholarship to complete her masters degree at the London School of Economics.
The $30,000 Global Grant scholarship is jointly funded through District 5020, which includes Vancouver Island, and is offered by Rotary International. DeRosa is sponsored by the Rotary Club in Oak Bay and was one of two recipients this year.
The other recipient is Kristi Foster, who is completing her masters in environmental management at the University of Queensland.
DeRosa will study international migration policy, furthering her research on the global migrant crisis and human smuggling. In 2012 DeRosa was the inaugural recipient of the R. James Travers Foreign Correspondent Fellowship offered by Carleton University in memory of Travers, a former foreign correspondent for the Southam organization.
DeRosa investigated the Conservative government’s anti-human smuggling law, Bill C-31, passed in response to the arrival of hundreds of Tamil migrants aboard MV Ocean Lady in 2009 and MV Sun Sea the following year. DeRosa travelled to Australia and Thailand to learn about mandatory detention policies in those countries.
For the week-long series, Katie was awarded the 2013 Amnesty International Media award in the local news category. She also received an honourable mention for the Canadian Hillman prize, which honours investigative journalism for the common good.
The Rotary Foundation’s Global Grant program supports large international activities in areas such as peace and conflict prevention, maternal and child health, education and literacy, economic community development and water and sanitation. — Times Colonist
