NAHJ SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FORMS: NAHJ scholarship application forms will be posted here on this site in early October 2004. The postmark application deadline will be Friday, January 28, 2005. NAHJ no longer sends out scholarship application forms through the postal service. Check back here in October to download free NAHJ scholarship application forms.

IMPORTANT: If you plan to submit applications for both an NAHJ scholarship and the NAHJ convention internship programs (college students only are eligible for convention internships), YOU MUST SUBMIT TWO SEPARATE APPLICATION PACKAGES!!!

APPLICANTS FOR CONVENTION INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS SHOULD SUBMIT A SEPARATE APPLICATION PACKAGE TO "NAHJ CONVENTION INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS." (Please see NAHJ Convention Internship programs page for more information on these programs.)

About the NAHJ Rubén Salazar Scholarship Fund:

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) offers several scholarships through our Rubén Salazar Scholarship program. These opportunities are designed to encourage and inspire Hispanic students to pursue careers in the field of print, photo, broadcast or online journalism. Hispanics remain woefully underrepresented in mainstream U.S. newsrooms. One of NAHJ’s goals is to help more qualified Hispanic students to move from the classroom to the newsroom.

About Rubén Salazar:

Established in 1986, NAHJ’s scholarship fund is named in memory of Rubén Salazar. He was a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and news director of Spanish-language television station KMEX. Salazar was covering the Chicano Anti-Vietnam War Moratorium in East Los Angeles in 1970 when he was killed by a tear gas projectile fired by a deputy sheriff. For journalists of color, his legacy symbolizes the continuous fight to integrate mainstream media and ensure accurate and fair coverage of Latino issues.

Who is eligible for NAHJ scholarships?

Current high school seniors, college undergraduates and first-year graduate students who are pursuing careers as print, photo, broadcast or online journalists. Each scholarship has different requirements for eligibility. Please review each CAREFULLY to determine which ones you may be qualified for.

Students must attend a community college or university that is within the United States or Puerto Rico full-time for the ENTIRE academic year after they receive an NAHJ scholarship, if they are selected. Students who attend or plan to attend colleges or universities outside of the United States or Puerto Rico are not eligible for NAHJ’s scholarships.

NAHJ Scholarship Criteria:

Each of the following criteria is weighed equally when NAHJ considers which students to select as scholarship recipients:

1. COMMITMENT TO THE FIELD OF JOURNALISM — Students must demonstrate a sincere desire to pursue a career in the field of journalism. This applies to students who are planning careers in English or Spanish-language print, photo, broadcast or online media. Students do not have to be journalism majors to be eligible for NAHJ scholarships.
2. ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT — There is no minimum grade point average to qualify for NAHJ scholarships. However, earning good grades is always important. Academic performance will play a role in deciding which students are awarded scholarships.
3. FINANCIAL NEED - The economic status of a student’s household will be taken into consideration in making scholarship selections.
4. AWARENESS OF THE COMMUNITY — The Latino community is the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. Student journalists need to be aware of issues that face the Latino community and Latinos in the newsroom while striving to portray all people in a fair and accurate manner in coverage of stories.

   Scholarships offered by NAHJ:

   NAHJ General Scholarships:

   Ranging from $1,000 - $2,000 per student, these scholarships are open to high school seniors, college undergraduates and first-year graduate students who are pursuing careers in English or Spanish-language print, photo, broadcast or online journalism.

   NAHJ Newhouse Scholarship Program:

   This scholarship offers $5,000 a year for two years. Since 1994, the Newhouse Foundation has sponsored a two-year scholarship for college juniors and seniors who are pursuing careers strictly in English-language newspaper journalism as reporters, editors, photographers or graphic artists. Applicants must be current college sophomores. The recipient is required to intern at a Newhouse newspaper following their junior year. The program provides a stipend to allow the winner of this scholarship to attend the annual NAHJ convention as a student member The Latino Reporter convention newspaper staff.

   NAHJ Maria Elena Salinas Scholarship Program:

   Established in 2002, this scholarship offers $5,000 each to two students who demonstrate a sincere desire to pursue a career as a journalist in Spanish-language television or radio. This award has been made possible through a donation from Univision network news anchor, syndicated columnist and NAHJ founding member Maria Elena Salinas. Her generosity has been matched by the Univision network, which has also contributed to this award. It is open to: high school seniors, undergraduate students and first-year graduate students. Those who are selected for this scholarship will be given the opportunity to intern with either the news division of the Univision network or with an Univision affiliate near them.

   NOTE: Students who apply for the Maria Elena Salinas Scholarship must also write an essay in Spanish which explains why they seek a career as a Spanish-language broadcast journalist. They must also submit work samples that are in Spanish.

   NAHJ ABC News Joanna Bistany Memorial Scholarship Program:

   The amount of this award has not yet been determined. Beginning in October of 2003, NAHJ will offer this award for college students who are pursuing careers as reporters or producers in the field of English-language television news. This award is named after the late Joanna Bistany, a former vice president at ABC News who made strides toward bringing more diversity to that network’s newsroom.

   The NAHJ Newsroom Bound Program:

   This is a three-year program that offers current college freshmen and sophomores a chance to experience many of the opportunities offered by NAHJ that are intended to propel them from the classroom to the newsroom. NAHJ will select students for this program from among its scholarship recipients. This comprehensive program provides journalism students with training, mentoring and work experience.

   This three-year program consists of the following:

   Year One

   Students are selected in the spring of each year and will be notified via e-mail or letter. In the fall, each student will be awarded a scholarship to be used for both the fall and spring semesters. In the summer, these students will take part in the Student Campus program during the annual NAHJ convention.

   Year Two

   Students are again awarded a scholarship from NAHJ. If the students show enough development from Year One, they will be placed into the NAHJ Student Projects program during our association’s annual convention. They would then be part of a team that produces a newspaper, a television newscast, a radio newscast or an online news Web site during that year’s NAHJ convention.

   Year Three

   During the summer of their third year in this program, NAHJ places students into an internship for practical newsroom experience. Throughout the course of the three-year program, students have a chance to meet and work with other Latino students from colleges and universities throughout the United States and the Caribbean. During each NAHJ convention, students have a chance to showcase their work to professional journalists, newsroom recruiters and media executives from several major media outlets. This is done at the NAHJ Convention Media and Career Expo.

   What we ask NAHJ scholarship applicants to submit:

   Materials that applicants for NAHJ scholarships must submit:

   1. Transcripts of grades in sealed envelopes with an official school seal or signature across the flap. If you have attended more than one school, a transcript is required from each institution unless grades from the previous school (s) appear on the present transcript.
   2. Résumés listing your educational background, work history, awards, journalism-related internships, other scholarships, language proficiency and any work done for your school or community newspaper, radio and/or television. KEEP RÉSUMÉS TO ONE PAGE!
   3. Two reference letters in separate sealed envelopes from people who are familiar with your academic and/or journalism work. Examples: professors, counselors, employers, faculty advisors, etc.). Letters from relatives will not be accepted.
   4. Samples of your best work. These include.

   Print samples can be stories written by the applicant that have been published in a high school, college campus or community newspaper or magazine or online. Applicants should include no more than three clips of published work. These are usually articles written by the scholarship applicant. Print entries that are larger than 8-1/2" by 11" must be photocopied, reduced or mounted so that they fit these dimensions.

   Television samples should be on VHS format videotapes. These work samples may contain more than one story, but total time should not exceed 10 minutes.

   Radio samples should either be on standard audio cassette or compact disc (CD). Again, these work samples may contain more than one story, but total time should not exceed 10 minutes.

   Photojournalism applicants may submit as many as five 8" by 10" prints of best work that has either been published in a high school, college campus or community newspaper, magazine or an online Web site.

   Work samples for any of the above may be in English or Spanish.

   ***NOTE: NAHJ IS NOT ABLE TO RETURN WORK SAMPLES THAT ARE SUBMITTED BY SCHOLARSHIP APPLICANTS. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU KEEP ORIGINALS AND SUBMIT COPIES AS PART OF SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION PACKAGE.

5. Essays. Generally each year NAHJ will ask students to submit at least one essay and often will ask students to submit more than one essay.

   Our general essay calls for scholarship applicants to write a typed, double-spaced 500-word autobiography in the third person in the form of a news story.

   Here is what we are looking for in this essay:

   1. Why are you interested in a career in the field of journalism?
   2. What event, story, person, experience, etc., inspired you to want to pursue a career in this field?
   3. What hardships or obstacles have you experienced while trying to realize your goal of becoming a journalist?
   4. What role, if any, do Latino journalists play in the news industry?

   NAHJ also often asks scholarship applicants to submit a second essay. This second essay, if asked for, will relate to Latinos and the field of journalism. In 2003, we asked scholarship applicants to write an essay on the following topic:

   Several newsgathering organizations have been purchased by large corporations during the past few years. For instance, Telemundo and NBC are now owned by General Eletric. The Walt Disney Company owns ABC Television and ESPN. The Tribune Company owns the Los Angeles Times and several TV stations throughout the U.S. Is this: 1) good or bad for journalism and 2) what kind of role do you see the trend of multi-media ownership playing in your ability to get a job in a newsroom?

6. A copy of your parents’ W-2 Form. This documentation will help the NAHJ Scholarship Selection Committee to assess the scholarship applicant’s financial need.
   
   
7. A copy of a Financial Needs Statement. This statement is found on the NAHJ Scholarship Application & Checklist. It is a part of this form which asks for details on the applicant’s expenses and income. Again, this information is used by the NAHJ Scholarship Selection Committee to assess the scholarship applicant’s financial need.
   
   
8. Only for Maria Elena Salinas Scholarship applicants: As explained above, these applicants must submit along with their application package an essay in Spanish that explains why you seek a career as a Spanish-language broadcast journalist.

Some past NAHJ Scholarship recipients:

• Gina Acosta — assistant editor, editorial — The Washington Post
• Karen Carranza — executive producer — Telemundo TV station in Los Angeles
• Kathleen Conti — reporter — The Boston Globe
• Cristina Counts — executive producer — KOAT-TV in Albuquerque, NM
• Luis Cruz — reporter — KSEE-TV of Fresno, CA
• Sandra Murillo — Los Angeles Times’ METPRO program
• Luz Villarreal — associate producer — Dateline NBC

NAHJ Scholarship Review Process:

NAHJ scholarship application deadline:

Receive notice about posting of NAHJ scholarship forms:

NAHJ
Rubén Salazar Scholarship Fund Programs
529 14^th Street, NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20045-2001

Questions about NAHJ scholarships?

If you have questions regarding scholarships offered by our association, please contact NAHJ Educational Programs Manager Kevin Olivas by e-mail at: kolivas@nahj.org.