The Hindu : Front Page : Vidya Ram tops class at Columbia University's journalism school

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Monday, May 21, 2007
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Vidya Ram tops class at Columbia University's journalism school

Vidya Ram

NEW YORK: Vidya Ram, 27, from Chennai was designated the top student in the Class of 2007 of the Graduate School of Journalism of Columbia University, New York.

Ms. Ram topped a list of 28 honours students in the school's M.S. programme. She was also awarded a Pulitzer travelling fellowship. These fellowships are given to five outstanding graduates to enable them to study and travel abroad. Ms. Ram plans to use her Pulitzer fellowship travelling to, and writing about, China.

Ms. Ram's classmates gave her a big round of applause when the school announced on Journalism Day, the day before the convocation, that she was the student of the year. It is very rare for a foreign student to win top honours at the school.

More than 250 M.S. programme students took their degrees along with Ms. Ram at the May 16 convocation of one of the world's premier journalism schools. Ben Bradlee, vice-president at large of The Washington Post, gave the commencement address to students, faculty, and parents. He received the school's highest honour, the Columbia Journalism Award.

Ms. Ram is the daughter of N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu, who is an alumnus of the Columbia University journalism school. She studied at Sishya, Chennai, Oxford University, and the London School of Economics before going to Columbia University. Ms. Ram spent a year teaching English in Harbin, China; interned at The Hindu group's Frontline magazine in 2001-2002; and subsequently worked at the Hansard Society in London.

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