Texas State Students Win Saahj Scholarships

The San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists (SAAHJ) is pleased to award $30,000 in scholarships to 13 deserving Bexar County students pursuing careers in communications and journalism this year at its 16th Annual Scholarship and Awards Gala held in San Antonio’s Marriott Rivercenter, 101 Bowie Street on Friday, August 8th, 2014.

The award amount is to celebrate the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) 30th Anniversary, as NAHJ will hold its annual convention in San Antonio for the first time in its 30 years.  SAAHJ’s gala is part of their festivities and the scholarships will be presented to the recipients at this gala.  Since inception, SAAHJ has awarded more than $175,000 in scholarships, with $25,000 last year alone.

“We’re thrilled to award the most our association ever has in scholarships this year at $30,000, to a variety of students from our own backyard who are aspiring to be the next generation of journalists and communicators,” said Francisco Vara-Orta, SAAHJ President. “Our scholarships are open to all students and that mindset helps us champion true diversity by funding a pipeline to better ensure that people of all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds have a fair shot in ending up in our nation’s newsrooms.”

The students receiving scholarships this year are:

•       Miriam Cisneros Cabello, University of Texas at San Antonio

•       La Quinta Dixon, Texas A&M University-San Antonio

•       Zarah Farah, Texas State University

•       Sarah Gibbens, University of Texas at San Antonio

•       Cynthia M Herrera, San Antonio College

•       Lorie A. Hidalgo, Texas A&M University-San Antonio

•       Alma Linda Manzanares, Texas A&M University-San Antonio

•       Malik Mingo, Texas State University

•       Marques Mingo, Texas State University

•       Pamela Paz, San Antonio College

•       Asaiah K Puente, University of Texas at San Antonio

•       Thalia Rivera, University of North Texas

•       Christopher Vasquez, Texas A&M University-San Antonio

About the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists (SAAHJ):
Established in 1986, the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists is composed of local journalists, public relations professionals and students interested in communications or the public relations industry. SAAHJ helps provide networking opportunities for Hispanics in journalism and communications careers, help develop Hispanic leaders in journalism, advance and be an advocate for Hispanics in journalism and communications careers, and encourage Hispanics to consider and pursue journalism and communications professions. For more information, visit www.saahj.com.