We are thrilled to introduce the 2025 Student Project team along with this year’s NAHJ internship and scholarship recipients — an extraordinary group of emerging journalists representing the very best of what’s to come in the industry.
This year, we received more than 90 impressive applications from across the country, and we’re proud to award over $25,000 in scholarships and internship support. From Puerto Rico to California, our recipients reflect the rich diversity of the Latino community and bring with them bold ideas, passion and a commitment to impactful storytelling.
“These students are nothing short of phenomenal,” said Yaneth Guillen-Diaz, NAHJ Executive Director. “They’ve stood out among a competitive pool of applicants and are already showing signs of the changemakers they’re destined to become. NAHJ is honored to invest in their growth and to be part of their journey.”
“Being awarded the first annual Lori Montenegro Scholarship is such a unique honor,” shared Avril Silva, student at George Washington University. “As someone who has admired her career in DC the past few years, I am so grateful to have someone as incredible as Lori see potential in me. This scholarship will help me in so many ways that I could never begin to articulate. Thank you to my NAHJ familia for always supporting me!”
“As a Colombian journalist, coming to New York City to study in one of the most relevant J-schools of the U.S. seemed as an almost impossible dream,” expressed Ana Maria Betancourt Ovalle, student at CUNY. “Receiving NAHJ’s scholarship is a way to support my path in doing a community-based journalism that amplifies the voices of the Latinx people who have been marginalized and excluded from the collective narratives. Journalists are accountable of building inclusive, diverse and complex narratives about the human experience. This scholarship reinforces to me that commitment.”
NAHJ’s programs are rooted in our mission to increase Latino representation in newsrooms and elevate the quality of news coverage of Latino communities. Through the Student Project, internships, and scholarships, we are actively building a pipeline of talented journalists who reflect the communities they serve.
“We don’t just talk about creating opportunities — we deliver on that promise,” added Dunia Elvir, NAHJ President. “These initiatives are our way of giving back, opening doors, and showing young journalists they belong in this industry.”
We congratulate all of this year’s recipients and look forward to seeing how they will shape the future of journalism.
See the this year’s recipients below:
About NAHJ Internships
NAHJ partners with leading news and media organizations to offer students and early career journalists invaluable hands-on experience. Our internships provide the opportunity to work alongside top newsroom leaders and industry professionals, helping you build the skills and connections needed to succeed in the field.
About NAHJ Scholarship Program
Each year, NAHJ helps students pursuing careers in journalism through scholarship support. NAHJ has awarded nearly $2 million in scholarship dollars, since the program began. We are proud to award scholarships to deserving individuals who show exceptional promise and dedication to the field of journalism.
About the NAHJ Student Project
Many journalists, leaders and educators got their start through the NAHJ Student Project. NAHJ was the first diverse journalism organization to create a convention newsroom training opportunity for students. College students will work on improving their skills in a newsroom setting during the annual NAHJ Conference & Expo. Under the guidance of professional mentors, students will write, report, shoot and edit video, shoot photos and cover events on social media to help prepare them to compete in a challenging media market. NAHJ students will produce stories on the national conference and on the Latinx community for the Latino Reporter Digital, the website dedicated to the Student Project. NAHJ covers the students’ travel, convention registration, hotel and meals for the convention.
For more information about NAHJ and its programs, visit here.
2025 NAHJ Student Project Team
Alana M. Rosario Sánchez
Universidad de Puerto Rico en Arecibo
Major: Comunicación Tele Radial, Minor in News Production
Araceli Ramirez
Columbia College Chicago
Major: Creative Writing
Ashley Camila Neyra
University of Maryland – College Park
Major: Journalism, Minor in Spanish
Gian Marco Velasquez
University of Southern California
Major: Journalism, Minor in Legal Studies
Luisiana Ortiz
Syracuse University
Major: Journalism & Data Analytics
Morelys Urbano
Morgan State University
Major: Multimedia Journalism, Minor in Latin American & Carribbean Studies
Oriana Carolina Torre Da Silva
University of Florida
Major: Journalism, Minor of Latin American Studies
Paul C. Fisher
Newberry College
Major: Communications-Journalism, Minor in Political Science
Micah Sandy
Northwestern University
Major: Journalism and Political Science, Minor in Classical Studies
Susan Alejandra Barnett
University of Arizona
Major: Bilingual Journalism
Viviana Garcia
California State University Fullerton
Major: Communications Journalism, Minor in Spanish
Wesley J. Pérez Vidal
Universidad del Sagrado Corazón
Major: Interdisciplinary Communication, Minor in Psychology and Journalism
2025 Scholarship Recipients
Amanda DeJesus – NAHJ María Elena Salinas Scholarship
New York University
Major: Multimedia Journalism
Andrea Michelle Fonseca – NAHJ Cecilia Alvear Scholarship
Florida International University
Major: Journalism
Avril Diana Silva – NAHJ Lori Montenegro Scholarship + NAHJ-NYU Scholarship
George Washington University
Major: Journalism and Mass Communications, Minor in International Affairs
Nathan Jacob Gonzalez – NAHJ White House Correspondents’ Association Scholarship
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Major: Journalism, Minor in Legal Studies
Oscar Flores Pavon – NAHJ María Elena Salinas Scholarship
Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
Major: Bilingual Journalism, Minor in Broadcast Journalism
2025 Ruben Salazar Scholarship Recipients
Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez
Northwestern University
Major: Journalism and Latino/a Studies, Minor in Political Science
Ana Maria Betancourt Ovalle
Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
Major: Bilingual Journalism, Minor is Arts and Culture Reporting
Estefania Arellano-Bermudez
Henry Ford College
Major: Journalism
Aurora Cecilia Martínez Molina
Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
Major: Journalism
Erika Yadira Konig
University of Memphis
Major: Journalism
Isabela Fleischmann do Amaral
New York University
Major: Business and Economic Reporting
Juan Carlos Ramirez Delgadillo
University of North Texas
Major: Journalism – Digital and Print Concentration, Minor in Spanish
Kiara Liz Maldonado Acevedo
Universidad de Puerto Rico en Arecibo
Major: Comunicación Tele-Radial, Minor in Producción de noticias
Mariana Sofía Caro Quintana
Emerson College
Major: Journalism, Minor in Pre-Law
Mariana Almendra Quezada Marquez
University of Illinois Urbana Campaign
Major: Journalism, Minor in Creative Writing & Critical Film Production
Marina Isabel Meretz
University of Florida
Major: Journalism, Minor in Women’s Studies
Maryanne Casas-Perez
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt
Major: Journalism
Nicholas Heber Cruz
Florida Atlantic University
Major: Communication Studies, Minor in Leadership Studies
Vivian Hernandez Mejia
University of Arkansas
Major: Journalism
Yarithza Liceaga López
Universidad de Puerto Rico en Arecibo
Major: News Production, Minor in Production and Direction
2025 Internship Recipients
Roman Constantine Aguilar
San Diego State University
Major: Journalism, Minor in Communications
Assignment: The Arizona Republic/The Pedro Gomez Foundation
Nicol Valeri León Arge
Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
Major: Bilingual Journalism, Minor in Data Journalism
Assignment: The Arizona Republic/The Pedro Gomez Foundation
Santiago Rodriguez Arana García
Louisiana State University
Major: Mass Communication (Journalism), Minor in Communication Studies
Assignment: ABC News