HAHMP Empowers the Future, Lauds the Present and Honors the Past at 22nd Anniversary Gala

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On March 28, 2008, The Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals invites you to join them at the J.W. Marriott, Grand Ballroom, 5150 Westheimer, Houston, for the 22nd Annual Sylvan Rodriquez Scholarship Banquet as they award $30,000 in scholarship monies to this year's deserving scholarship recipients and honor Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient Minerva Perez of Latino Talk TV.

The Houston Association of Hispanic Media professionals has a long and proud history of promoting education and professional development among aspiring and working Hispanic journalists and media professionals in Houston. This year’s event is no exception. Gala Chairs for the event, Tony Choy (M.D. Anderson) and Lourdes Montoya (journalist), along with Scholarship Chair Alexa Enriquez, are proud to announce that 10 deserving Hispanic students will be awarded scholarships of $3,000 each for a total of $30,000 in scholarship monies.

To be considered for selection, each candidate was required to meet certain criteria. Eligible high school seniors, college or undergraduate students must be of Hispanic heritage and be pursuing a degree in journalism or communications. Their career focus must be in the field of print, photo, broadcast or online journalism or public relations. Scholarship recipients must also be enrolled or plan to attend a community college or university within the United States or Puerto Rico as full-time students for the entire academic year, and they must be residents of the Greater Houston area.

In addition to the student's application, Scholarship Committee members also considered the applicant's transcripts, family income (most recent W2 forms), a one-page resume, an autobiographical essay and two letters of reference.

As well as honoring the students, HAHMP will also celebrate the lifetime achievement of Minerva Perez, award-winning broadcast journalist and longtime news anchor who is a partner and co-host of Latino Talk TV, which focuses on issues impacting the Hispanic community in Houston. Prior to her current 15-year tenure with KTRK-TV, she was an anchor and reporter for KTLA-TV in Los Angeles. Perez has been a member of HAHMP since the late '80s and has diligently worked to support her community through reporting, anchoring and volunteering.

Also on the evening's slate of activities is Jim Avila, the award-winning journalist, who will be the keynote speaker. Avila is senior law and justice correspondent for ABC News and the news magazine 20/20, as well as a contributor to Primetime. He previously corresponded for NBC Nightly News and worked for KNBC in Los Angeles.

Sylvan Rodriquez’s name is synonymous with broadcast journalism in Houston, where he spent 20 of his 30 years in the field reporting news and helping others throughout the community. Though he has passed, his legacy for giving of his time and energy to his beloved community lives on through the scholarship banquet dedicated to his life’s work.

For the third consecutive year, Continental Airlines is providing airline tickets for the auction, which raises funds for the HAHMP’s scholarships for aspiring journalists. “Continental is proud to work together once again with the Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals to make it possible for Hispanic journalism students to reach their educational and professional goals,” said Ned Walker, Senior Vice President–Worldwide Communications, Continental Airlines.

Donors are able to select their level of support by choosing from the following "stories":

"Exclusive" story--$20,000

"Top" story--$15,000

"In-depth" story--$10,000

"Investigative" story--$5,000

"Live" story--$2,500

Individual ticket--$150

Since its inception in 1986, HAHMP has awarded more than $220,000 in scholarships. HAHMP relies on the support of the community and welcomes any sponsorship donations. For more information about how you can become involved, visit www.hahmponline.org.

The Houston Association of Media Professionals (HAHMP) was created as a non-profit organization to provide support for Hispanics involved in the gathering and dissemination of news, to encourage and support the study and practice of journalism and communications by Hispanics, and to promote a fair and accurate portrayal of Hispanics in the media.

Membership is open to members of the broadcast and print media, public relations professionals and college students. HAHMP was founded in 1986 by a group of local journalists, among them Fernando Dovalina and Jo Ann Zuniga of the Houston Chronicle, Elma Barrera of ABC Channel 13, Richard Longoria formerly of ABC Channel 13, Sylvan Rodriquez of CBS Channel 11 and Dianne Solis of the Wall Street journal. HAHMP is the local affiliate of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ). In June 2000, Houston served as the host city for the NAHJ annual conference.

Continental Airlines offers service to 76 destinations in 23 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including nonstop service to 31 destinations in Mexico - more than any other airline from the U.S. Continental also offers nonstop service to more Central American cities (10) than any other U.S. airline and serves nine South American destinations.

Continental offers a number of Spanish-language services, including bilingual flight attendants on many flights to Latin America, and bilingual airport personnel, reservations agents and signage. Spanish-language functions on the continental.com Web site include flight booking, check-in, seat selection, flight and gate information, and OnePass frequent flyer program enrollment. Passengers also may make reservations in Spanish at 1-800-537-9222. Continental Airlines has been named to Hispanic Magazine's list of "100 Best Companies for Hispanics" every year since 1998.