More than $1.6 Million in Scholarships Paid in 23 Years of Giving

Washington, DC – On this 40^th anniversary of the slaying of the pioneer namesake of the organization’s scholarship fund, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists awarded $71,000 in new scholarships this fall to 26 students pursing a career in journalism.

The scholarships are made possible through individual, corporate and foundation donations to the Rubén Salazar Scholarship Fund, named in honor of the prominent Latino print and broadcast journalist killed 40 years ago Sunday by a tear gas projectile a Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy shot into a bar. Salazar had entered the East Los Angeles bar following his coverage of a Chicano anti-Vietnam War demonstration. Click here for NAHJ’s tribute to Rubén Salazar, http://www.nahj.org/2010/08/ruben-salazar-tribute/.

With this year’s awards, NAHJ has given out a total of more than $1.6 million in financial aid to about 600 aspiring journalists since the scholarship fund began operating in 1987.

“During these tough economic times, scholarships like these are needed even more and NAHJ is glad to be able to help these students reach their dreams,” said Iván Román, NAHJ’s Executive Director. “The significant hardships many of them are enduring to become journalists show that they are committed to giving a voice to our people, and to improving media coverage of the Latino community. We need more voices like theirs to join ours.”

The scholarships are part of NAHJ’s educational and professional development programs, which include annual conventions, student media projects, journalism workshops, multimedia training, an online career center and much more. Through these programs, NAHJ seeks to boost the number of Latinos in newsrooms and to create a path toward achieving more fair and accurate coverage of the Hispanic community.

NAHJ is also able to offer these scholarships in 2010 thanks to generous personal donations from María Elena Salinas, co-anchor of Noticiero Univisión and syndicated columnist, Geraldo Rivera, senior correspondent for Fox News Channel, and new donations this year from CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien, and Mike and Maggie Rodriguez, who is co-anchor of CBS’ The Early Show. This year’s scholarships are also possible thanks to grants and donations from the Ford Motor Company Fund, the Gannett Foundation, CNN, Univisión, and many members and friends of NAHJ.

Despite the economic downturn, NAHJ remains committed to continuing its support of the next generation of Latino storytellers. NAHJ’s Denver Challenge fundraising campaign seeks to raise funds to bolster its educational and professional development programs in this changing news media landscape. For more information on the campaign or to donate, click here.

NAHJ is pleased to announce the 2010 scholarship recipients:

NAHJ/Ford Motor Company Scholarships
($2,000 scholarships for students pursuing careers in journalism in English or Spanish and in any type of media)

Luciana Morales, University of Texas, Brownsville
Mario Salazar, California State University, Los Angeles
Andrea De Brito, University of California, Berkeley
Anna Gallegos, University of Houston
Theresa Avila, University of California, Los Angeles
Lindsey Bomnin, Emory University
Antonio Azíos, American University
Almendra Carpizo, University of California, Chico

NAHJ/Maria Elena Salinas Scholarship
($5,000 scholarships for students pursuing a career in Spanish-language broadcast journalism)

Nancy Virginia Bulacio, California State University, Northridge
Maria Nimia Amaya, University of North Texas
Marlene Salinas, California State University, Northridge

NAHJ/Geraldo Rivera Scholarship
($5,000 scholarship for students pursuing a career in journalism in English or Spanish)

Jacob Rascon, Brigham Young University

NAHJ/Mike and Maggie Rodriguez Scholarship
($5,000 scholarship for students pursuing a career in journalism in English or Spanish)

Ingrid Rojas, Columbia University

NAHJ/Soledad O’Brien Scholarship
($5,000 scholarship for students pursuing a career in journalism in English or Spanish)

Gustavo Gutierrez, University of Southern California

NAHJ/Gannett Foundation Scholarships
($5,000 scholarships for NAHJ student members attending Florida International University)

Wilma Hernandez, Florida International University
Carime Hernandez, Florida International University

NAHJ/Rubén Salazar Scholarships
($2,000 scholarships – or $1,000 for those with an asterisk* — for students pursuing a career in journalism in English or Spanish and in any type of media.)

Christina Miralla, University of North Texas
Alejandra Matos, University of Texas at El Paso
Andrés Caballero, Columbia University
Juliana Jimenez, University of Florida
Carolina Hidalgo, Stony Brook University
*Benjamin Perez, University of Wisconsin, River Falls
*Paula Machado, University of Central Florida
*Melissa Colorado, Brooklyn College
*Gladys Vega, Long Beach City College
*Andres Gonzalez, University of Maryland

Founded in 1984, NAHJ’s mission is to increase the percentage of Latinos working in our nation’s newsrooms and to improve news coverage of the Latino community. NAHJ is the nation’s largest professional organization for Latino journalists with more than 1,400 members working in English and Spanish-language print, photo, broadcast and online media. NAHJ is a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization. For more information, visit www.nahj.org.

Media Contact: Erwin Díaz, NAHJ Education Program Manager, (202) 662-8901, ediaz@nahj.org