Each year, the San Diego Press Club Foundation, as part of the club’s mission, provides two college students with scholarships to help ease their college journey as they pursue their degrees in journalism studies. This year, the Foundation has reached a historic goal, with $81,000 provided to students who demonstrated their passion and dedication in pursuing their career goals.
This was a difficult decision for the Scholarship Committee as they had numerous applicants to choose from. But, after much discussion, they agreed on our two recipients for the 2026 Scholarship Competition.
The San Diego Press Club Board of Directors is delighted to announce this year’s recipients. Along with their scholarships, each recipient received a one-year Student Membership to the San Diego Press Club.
The recipient of the 2026 Frank Saldana Memorial Scholarship is Calla Jordan.
Jordan is a full-time senior at the University of San Diego earning her major in Communications, and minoring in Political Science. Throughout college, Jordan worked as a contributor to The USD Vista and is currently the managing editor for the paper. She has full intentions of pursuing a career in print journalism.
“I want to express my gratitude and thanks to the San Diego Press Club for awarding me with the 2026 San Diego Press Club Frank Saldana Memorial Scholarship. Throughout my academic career, student journalism has been a constant source of motivation and inspiration for me. At the University of San Diego, I began contributing to The USD Vista my junior year. I immediately found a community of energized and focused students. The following year, I was given the opportunity to take on the role as managing editor for the paper. I feel so lucky because now, not only can I work with USD communities to foster education and accountability, but I can help those interested in journalistic writing become strong and passionate writers,” said Jordan. “Being awarded this scholarship is further motivation to pursue journalism in both my last year at college and in the future. Thank you again for this honor and for inviting me into this community of journalists and impassioned individuals for the press.”
The recipient of the 2026 San Diego Press Club Foundation Scholarship is AB Cole.
Cole is a full-time student at San Diego City College majoring in Journalism. Cole began her journey in journalism while attending Coronado Middle School. She is currently a multimedia journalist for SDCC’s City Times with her love for broadcast and radio. Cole is working towards transferring to a university to continue her studies.
“This scholarship has me in complete disbelief. Being a first-generation college student and person of color in this day and age is hard. I left my old university in New York to come home and continue my education locally. It did not feel right in New York despite the success I achieved. I was a main producer for the radio station and a package producer all in my first year, but it never felt right,” said Cole. “Since dropping out, I was in fear of the future. Will I be financially able to continue getting an education I have always wanted? Will I be able to fully complete my college experience despite dropping out? These are questions I was asking for the past year as I finish my last few semesters at San Diego City College, worried about whether I will have the resources to continue my passion. I got worried, wondering if I made the wrong decision to leave New York, but I have realized one thing this year. It is not about the place, but it is about what you can make of it. No matter where we are, if you have enough passion, you can make anything happen.
“Getting this scholarship feels like a sign I am making things happen and, most importantly, helps me feel like I am on the right path. I am so thankful to have this support to continue my education in broadcast journalism. Thank you to the San Diego Press Club for this scholarship.”
You can meet our scholarship recipients at the 53rd Annual Excellence in Journalism Awards on Oct. 27 at the Southwestern College’s Student Union Ballroom. For more information, and to purchase tickets visit https://sdpressclub.org/2025/10/07/buy-your-2024-jawards-tickets-now/.
