April 27, 2008
Albuquerque Journal
N.M. Press Women Gives Out Two Scholarships
By Liz Otero/Of the JournalAROUND TOWN: University of New Mexico senior Christina Isabel Lovato and New Mexico State University junior Louie E. Calderon were named New Mexico Press Women scholarship recipients for 2008 at their annual state meeting in Albuquerque. Each received $850 to use for their educational pursuits in journalism.
“We are very proud of these young people — they represent the future of journalism and we feel honored to play a part in their educational journey,” said Carol Clark, the new president of New Mexico Press Women. “We look forward to great things from them.”
Lovato is majoring in broadcast journalism and Spanish at UNM. She contributes to the Daily Lobo, is a student senator, former member of Mariachi Lobo, and works two jobs while attending school full time. She interned with broadcast reporter Van Tate of KRQE-TV. She has been a student employee with the UNM Women's Resource Center for five years and is the center's newsletter editor and Web designer. The newsletter is distributed to women and women's organizations around the nation.
The scholarship Lovato received will allow her to travel to Mexico to team up with students from La Universidad Fray Luca this summer to produce in-depth reports on issues affecting both Mexico and the United States, including immigration.
“This scholarship will give me the chance to do something great not only for myself but for other people as well,” Lovato said.
Calderon is a journalism and mass communications major at NMSU. He also makes time to write professionally while working two jobs and attending class full time. This past summer he interned with the El Defensor Chieftain in Socorro. Upon completion of the internship, he was offered a second internship with the Las Cruces Sun News as sports reporter. This spring, he joined the university's communication office to write news releases.
He plans to use his scholarship to help with housing and living expenses so he can apply for another newspaper internship. Calderon's ultimate goal is to become a baseball columnist for ESPN, The Magazine.
New Mexico Press Women, the state's largest inclusive media organization since 1949, is an affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women. It is open to men and women, holds an annual communications contest with more than 90 categories, provides scholarships, and has local chapter activities in Albuquerque, northern New Mexico and Las Cruces. For information about the group, log on to www.NewMexicoPressWomen.org.