PEACHTREE CITY, GA — February 13, 2012 — Dr. Linda L. Curtis, Acting Director and Area Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS) and Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Cuba, (DoDDS-Cuba) learned today that Mr. Reinaldo Santiago, a junior at Antilles High School, Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, has been selected to advance to the National Level competition in the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Voice of Democracy scholarship competition.

Mr. Santiago was selected as the winner at the VFW Latin America/Caribbean Department level competition which advances him to attend the Voice of Democracy National Finals in Washington, D.C. on March 3-7, 2012. As the winner at the Department/State level, Mr. Santiago will automatically qualify for a minimum $1,000 scholarship; however, along with student representatives from the 50 states, DoDDS-Europe and DoDDS-Pacific, he will compete for $151,000 in scholarships, according to retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Antonio Maldonado, Chairman of the Voice of Democracy Program, VFW Department Latin America/Caribbean. The first place winner will receive a $30,000 scholarship.

“This is indeed a great honor for Puerto Rico, the Antilles High School and for Mr. Reinaldo Santiago, that one of our bright young students be selected for such a significant scholarship competition,” Maldonado said. “In addition to the trip to Nationals in DC, Mr. Santiago is invited to attend the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge’s (FFVF) American Leaders Youth Summit (ALYS) which will be held June 21-24, 2012.”