Juan "JJ" Saldaña was a staunch advocate for the Latino community, a believer in the power of investing in Idaho's youth, and a tireless proponent of journalism as the crucial fourth estate of democracy. For more than 20 years, he laid the groundwork in Idaho for the Voces Internship of Idaho, pushing for better representation of Latinos in news media.

 

He was a founding board member of Voces and devoted so much time and energy to growing the organization and supporting its interns. Despite his busy schedule working for the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs (ICHA), he always made time to welcome new Latino journalists to town and connect them to the community they needed.

 

JJ dedicated his life to helping others achieve their dreams while remaining firmly rooted in service to the community. That is why Voces chose to name a scholarship after him and award it to high school attendees of the Youth Leadership Summit, which he also helped launch. 

 

Voces hopes these scholarships — which are awarded to high school students interested in media careers — help to carry on his legacy of selfless community service and investing in journalism's future.

 

To learn more about the JJ scholarship and how you or students you know might qualify, please email voces@vocesinternship.com.