Rhode Island Broadcasters Association

Congratulations to Our 2026 Scholarship Recipients!

Clockwise from top left: Ali Abdur-Razzak (with RIBA President, Bill George), Ava Milukas, Jack Perry, Malina Dooley, Eliza White

The Rhode Island Broadcasters Association has announced the recipients of its 2026 RIBA Scholarships. The Association awards five $2,000 scholarships annually.  The scholarships fall under two categories:

The RIBA Family Scholarships are awarded to employees or the children of employees of RIBA member stations. This year, three scholarships are being awarded for $2,000 each to outstanding students who have been judged based on academic record, work & extra-curricular activities, a letter of recommendation, a narrative essay and the amount of care and attention to detail put forth in their application. 

This year’s recipients of the RIBA Family Scholarships are:

  • Ali Abdur-Razzak is a Chemical Engineering major at Brown University and is minoring in communications and economics. He is the son of Samira Ouklilane and Murtadha Abdur-Razzak and resides in North Providence. Ali maintains an impressive 3.94 GPA while participating in a long list of extra-curricular activities. He is an undergraduate research fellow, conducting academic research at The Warren Alpert Medical School.  He also works as a promotions manager at Cat Country 98.1. In his application essay, Ali stated that he aspires to become a physician-innovator specializing in pediatric health equity while also continuing to pursue a career in sports broadcasting.
  • Malina Dooley will be a freshman at URI this fall, majoring in Nursing. She is a recent graduate of Portsmouth High School, where she was a member of the National Honor Society and the lacrosse team, and held leadership roles in student government all four years. Malina is the daughter of Lee and Krista Dooley of Portsmouth. Lee is the Digital Director at WPRI-TV and Fox-Providence. Malina credits her brother Mason, who is autistic with helping to shape who she is by helping her be in tune with the emotions of others and helping her develop maturity, responsibility, and compassion.
  • Jack Perry is a recent graduate of Boston University. He is returning to B.U. in the fall to pursue his doctorate degree in Physical Therapy.   Jack is the son of Scott Perry & Heather Gersten-Perry of Waltham, MA. Heather is host of the “Heather and Matty” morning show on Lite 105FM. In fact, in Jack’s application essay, he says “The person who has influenced me most is my mother, Heather Gersten Perry. Through her work in radio broadcasting, she introduced me to the power of communication and human connection at an early age.” Jack has appeared on the show with his mother many times, since he was four years old.

The Bob Fish Memorial Scholarships are awarded to outstanding students who are working in media or pursuing a career in communications, media or journalism. This year, two scholarships are being award for $2,000 each. The award honors the memory of Bob Fish, who was an accomplished broadcaster for many years in Rhode Island. He worked in advertising sales and management roles and was the owner of WHJJ and 94HJY radio. Mr. Fish was also President of Rhode Island PBS and an active board member and Chairman of the RI Broadcasters Association.

This year’s recipients of the Bob Fish Memorial Scholarships are:

  • Ava Milukas just completed her freshman year at Northwestern University in Chicago, majoring in Communications Study.  Last spring Ava graduated in the top 10 of her class at Tiverton High School so it’s no surprise that she finished her first year at Northwestern with a 3.96 GPA. This summer she is working as an intern in Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s Rhode Island office. Ava’s extra-curricular activities include investigating the benefits and drawbacks of using generative AI tools in journalistic backgrounding tasks and writing blog reports about her findings to help journalists. Ava is a resident of Tiverton, RI and is the daughter of Al and Kelly Milukas. Al is a Rhode Island radio veteran, as host of the “Paul and Al Show” on 94 HJY (WHJY-FM) for the past 36 years.  
  • Eliza White just finished her freshman year at The University of Rhode Island studying Journalism and achieving a 3.94 Grade Point Average. This fall she will be taking on the role of News Editor for the URI Newspaper, the Good 5 Cent Cigar. Eliza will also be serving as Vice President of the Surf Rider Foundation, is a member of the URI pep and marching bands and volunteers with the Audubon Society. She is the daughter of Tim and Melissa White of Portsmouth, RI. Eliza comes from a family of journalists, as her father Tim is an accomplished investigative reporter at WPRI-TV and her grandfather Jack White, was a legendary Rhode Island newspaper and television reporter.

The application window is now closed. Applications for the 2027-2028 school year will be accepted starting on December 1st, 2026.

 

 The Bob Fish Memorial Scholarship

RIBA is committed to supporting the next generation of broadcasters. Two $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to applicants who are pursuing a career in media, or a related industry:

  • Must be a Rhode Island resident or attending a post-secondary school (voc/tech, two year community college, four-year college or university/private or public) within Rhode Island.

  • Must display strong academic record (2.5 Cumulative GPA or higher), combined with proven leadership in extra-curricular activities, community involvement, and/or employment.

  • Enrolled in a course of study involving broadcasting, communications or journalism, or able to demonstrate employment or extra-curricular activities that compliment a career in TV or Radio.

Deadline for entry is May 17, 2027. You must include all of the following information to be considered as a candidate for any of the RIBA scholarships. 

  1. Completed application CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE APPLICATION

  2. Narrative essay limited to 250 words. (Type or paste essay into application.)  

  3. One letter of recommendation from a faculty member, advisor or employer. Please email to billgeorge@ribroadcasters.com

  4. Copy of your most recent transcript - Please email to billgeorge@ribroadcasters.com

  Scholarships are judged by a panel of professional broadcasters and will be awarded in summer 2026.

The RIBA Family Scholarship

 RIBA supports the broadcasters who contribute to our community as employees of RIBA member stations. Two $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to applicants who meet or exceed the following criteria:

  • Applicant must be an employee, or the child of an employee of a radio or TV station which is a member in good standing of the RI Broadcasters Association. 
  • Scholarship is open to students in all majors and fields of study.
  • Must display strong academic record (2.5 Cumulative GPA or higher), combined with proven leadership in extra-curricular activities, community involvement, and/or employment.
  • Open to students who will attend any post-secondary school (voc./tech, two year community college, four-year college or university/private or public) in Fall 2026.
  • Open to students regardless of their state of residency or location of college, provided they meet all other criteria.  

  • Deadline for entry is May 17, 2027. You must include all of the following information to be considered as a candidate for any of the RIBA scholarships. 
  1. Completed application CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE APPLICATION
  2. Narrative essay limited to 250 words. (Type or paste essay into application.)
  3. One letter of recommendation from a faculty member, advisor or employer. Please email to billgeorge@ribroadcasters.com
  4. Copy of your most recent transcript - Please email to billgeorge@ribroadcasters.com

Scholarships are judged by a panel of professional out-of-state broadcasters and broadcast association executives and will be awarded in summer 2026.