NEW YORK, New York – October 8, 2013 – (HISPANICIZE WIRE) – The Hispanic Public Relations Association’s New York Chapter executive board announced yesterday the selection of New York University student Lia Martinez-Santamaria as the recipient of the inaugural scholarship under the organization’s newly formed program. The HPRA-NY Scholarship Program was created to assist New York area students of Hispanic descent (origin) achieve their educational goals in the field of public relations and/or related communication disciplines. Martinez-Santamaria, a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science, is majoring in Media, Culture and Communication. The announcement was made by HPRA-NY President Andy Checo at the organization’s “Inside the Mind” event in New York City.
“Lia’s application credentials demonstrated the outstanding academic achievement and community involvement this program seeks to recognize”
“Lia’s application credentials demonstrated the outstanding academic achievement and community involvement this program seeks to recognize,” said Checo. “Her ongoing participation in a vast variety of programs including peer mentorship and leadership organizations greatly complements her outstanding academic record. In the short 3 years after arriving to New York from the Dominican Republic, Lia has showed a great amount of determination in becoming an exemplary communication professional.”
The 2013 HPRA-NY scholarship awarded a qualified undergraduate student $2,000 to help with education costs. Martinez-Santamaria will also have the opportunity attend the National HPRA PRemios Awards Gala in Los Angeles on October 23, where she will formally be recognized by the organization for her impressive achievements.
The HPRA-NY executive board is comprised of the following members: President- Andy Checo of MundoFox; Vice Presidents – Federico Mejer of MGSCOMM and Rosemary Mercedes of Univision; Secretary – Veronica Potes, Univision and Treasurer – Evelyn Galarza of Time Warner Cable.
About the Hispanic Public Relations Association:
The Hispanic Public Relations Association’s (HPRA) mission is to help Hispanic professional communicators enter and advance within the public relations and marketing communications fields by: 1) creating an exchange of information and ideas that empower public relations practitioners to be experts in their fields; 2) promoting professional development through educational programs; 3) providing financial and internship assistance to students entering the field; and 4) advocating responsible coverage of issues and images affecting the Hispanic community.
Established in 1984, The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) is the largest network of public relations, marketing and advertising professionals from agencies, government, nonprofit and corporate companies in the US.
The New York Chapter was established in 2010. HPRA-NY is a non-profit 501c3 organization.