Two girls in The Hollywood Reporter’s five-year-old Hollywood Mentorship Program were surprised Wednesday morning with full scholarships to Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television. The scholarship provides a four-year, fully funded education at the University for two of 13 mentees in the highly competitive Mentorship Program.
Actress Demi Lovato presented Paola, the mentee of Jennifer Salke, NBC Entertainment President, and Melissa, the mentee of Sandra Stern, COO, Lionsgate Television at THR’s 22nd annual Women in Entertainment breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
“The response and support we have received because of The Hollywood Reporter’s Mentorship Program scholarship fund has been inspiring,” said The Hollywood Reporter’s editorial director Janice Min. “LMU’s generous offer of two full scholarships to the girls in our Mentorship Program is a huge step in training the next generation of women to achieve success as our Mentorship Program enters its fifth year.”
“Our University takes pride in its mission of social justice, but those remain only lofty words unless they are backed by action,” said Stephen G. Ujlaki, dean of the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television. “So we find it particularly gratifying to be able to act upon this ideal and make a transformative change in the quality of somebody’s life. These scholarships will enable the recipients to focus on their education and to pursue their professional goals and personal dreams — debt free.”
Now in its fifth year, The Hollywood Reporter’s Women In Entertainment Mentorship Program is a joint venture with the national non-profit Big Brothers Big Sisters that selects 15 inner-city schoolgirls and pairs them with top-level women in the entertainment business. The girls, all high school juniors from some of L.A.’s toughest schools, spend one afternoon every two weeks with their mentors in what has proved to be a life-changing experience.
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