Thirty-Six Students Receive a Total of $72,000 in Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards Sponsored by Sallie Mae

Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading saving- and paying-for-college company today announced the 36 regional winners of the Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards ”Leadership” category. The awards, given by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) in an annual contest, honor academically successful Hispanic high school seniors with educational grants ranging from $1,000 to $8,000. Sallie Mae’s sponsorship of HHF’s Youth Awards is part of the company’s commitment to helping students and families pay for college. "Through the support of Sallie Mae, the ‘Leadership’ category allows us to celebrate the next generation of emerging Hispanic leaders,” said José Antonio Tijerino, HHF president and CEO. "These young leaders have demonstrated a high level of achievement in classrooms and communities across the country and are positioned as role models for their peers.” One such young leader is the Gold Medallion winner from Washington, DC, Veronica Torres. Torres attends Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School, where she is an AP and Honors student with a 4.0 GPA, a commitment to community service and multiple awards for academics and leadership. Torres will attend George Washington University in the fall. Born in El Salvador, she will be the first in her family to attend college. This year’s winners in the Sallie Mae-sponsored Leadership category are:       DALLAS   Gold:   Regina Escamilla   Ursuline Academy of Dallas     Silver:   Todd Gonzales   Arlington High School     Bronze:   Philip Tarpley   Cistercian Preparatory School MIAMI   Gold:   Rebecca Espinosa   Coral Reef Senior High School     Silver:   Veronica Barroso   G. Holmes Braddock     Bronze:   Sara Plana   Boca Raton Community High School NEW YORK   Gold:   Elizabeth Kinsey   The Ursuline School     Silver:   Carlos Laureano   Bronx Leadership Academy II     Bronze:   Alicia Chionchio   Smithtown High School West SAN JOSE   Gold:   Isela Banuelos   Ann Sobrato High School     Silver:   Giselle Alvarez   Notre Dame High School     Bronze:   Marvin Salazar   Richmond High School SAN DIEGO   Gold:   Nicolas Mendoza   Steele Canyon Charter High School     Silver:   Elizabeth Navarro   Point Loma High School     Bronze:   Cesar Castro   Sweetwater Union High School PHOENIX   Gold:   Adriana Delgado   Trevor G. Browne High School     Silver:   Carmen Moedano   Cibola High School     Bronze:   Brittany Raygoza   Trevor G. Browne High School SAN ANTONIO   Gold:   Elsa Parra   Tom C. Clark High School     Silver:   Jose Delgado   C.C. Winn High School     Bronze:   Gustavo Padron   Presidio High School HOUSTON   Gold:   Luis Lopez   Central Medical Magnet School     Silver:   Maria Velasquez   Cinco Ranch High School     Bronze:   Gabriel Marenco   Tomball High School LOS ANGELES   Gold:   Erica Fenandez   Hueneme High School     Silver:   Joseph Almeida   City Honors High School     Bronze:   Noel Mendoza   Verbum Dei High School CHICAGO   Gold:   Anthony Hernandez   Austin High School     Silver:   Adrian Aldaba   Naperville Central High School     Bronze:   Melissa Villalobos   Summer Academy of Arts & Science PHILADELPHIA   Gold:   Dominique De Leon   Central High School     Silver:   Michelle Mendiola Pla   Baldwin School of Puerto Rico     Bronze:   Angenid Reyes   Townsend Harris High School WASHINGTON, DC   Gold:   Veronica Torres   Theodore Roosevelt Sr. High School     Silver:   Emily Victoria Green   Southern High School     Bronze:   Laila Olivia Parada-Worby   School Without Walls Sr. High School "These young leaders are setting a positive example not only for the Hispanic community, but for people throughout the country,” said actor Wilmer Valderrama, official spokesperson of the 2008 Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards. "The determination, generosity of spirit, and accomplishment they have demonstrated at such young ages are only a small fraction of what they will eventually go on to achieve, and I applaud their hard work.” The Youth Awards are open to graduating high school seniors of Hispanic/Latino descent (at least one parent) who maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA. The seven award categories are: academic excellence, business, education (future teachers), engineering and mathematics, journalism, sports, and leadership. In 12 regions across the country, 252 Youth Awardees will receive more than $500,000 in total grants after being selected from an original pool of thousands of applicants. HHF’s Youth Awards are divided into 12 regions with three recipients selected for each category (Gold Medallion at $3,000; Silver Medallion at $2,000; and Bronze Medallion at $1,000) in each region. After the local ceremonies, the 252 Regional Youth Awards recipients will be narrowed to one National Youth Award recipient for each of the seven categories. Those individuals will be honored at the National Youth Awards presentation, where each student will receive an additional $5,000 educational grant and a laptop computer. The National Youth Awardees will be then be presented with their award onstage during a special ceremony of the 22nd Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 9, 2009. "Congratulations to these student leaders,” said C.E. Andrews, president of Sallie Mae. "We are proud to help young students like these Youth Award recipients grow into their dreams through a college education.” SLM Corporation (NYSE:SLM), commonly known as Sallie Mae, is the nation’s leading provider of saving- and paying-for-college programs. The company manages more than $169 billion in education loans and serves 10 million student and parent customers. Through its Upromise affiliates, the company also manages nearly $19 billion in 529 college-savings plans, and is a major, private source of college funding contributions in America with more than 8.5 million members and $425 million in member rewards. Sallie Mae and its subsidiaries offer debt management services as well as business and technical products to a range of business clients, including higher education institutions, student loan guarantors and state and federal agencies. More information is available at www.salliemae.com. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.