Network of Hispanic Communicators awarded $15,000 in scholarships

The Network of Hispanic Communicators awarded more than $15,000 in scholarships to seven journalism/communication students at this year’s Scholarship Awards Brunch on Saturday, April 12th at Ojeda’s Restaurant, 4617 Maple Ave. in Dallas.

Yolette Garcia, former director of Multimedia Communications at KERA and a past president of the Hispanic Communicators, was the keynote speaker. She is an assistant dean of the Annette Simmons Caldwell School of Education and Human Development at Southern Methodist University.

This year’s scholarship recipients included:

Arlinda Arriaga, University of North Texas

Leslie Rangel, Red Oak High School

Crystal Quinones, Northlake Community College

Dominic Bracco, University of Texas-Arlington

Katie Martinez, Tarrant County College-Northeast Campus

Patricia Espinosa, Texas Christian University

Alexa Garcia-Ditta, University of Texas-Arlington

Katie Martinez will receive the first John Gutierrez-Mier Scholarship.

Gutierrez-Mier, a former reporter with the Star-Telegram and a former officer with the Hispanic Communicators, died in August at age 43 of heart failure. The Hispanic Communicators are honoring his memory with this scholarship.

Last year, the Network awarded $13,000 to six students. Overall, the Hispanic Communicators have awarded more than $300,000 since they began awarding Scholarships in 1989.