RESTON, Va., June 23, 2008—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:

"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."