JEA honors Alan Tai of California as 2025 Journalist of the Year

When he first stepped into a journalism class, Alan Tai said he would spend 10 minutes crafting an email to avoid a 30-second conversation. He would take an F before he would present in front of the class. The thought of approaching strangers for an interview made his palms sweat.

Fast forward a little over two years to find Tai in his newsroom as the editorial board deliberated how to cover a sensitive topic following an accident at the football game. Someone in the room suggested that maybe the publication should ignore it because “they weren’t real journalists.”

“When Alan heard this,” a co-editor shared, “he was visibly appalled.”

“’We are real journalists,’” Tai told them, “then went on to emphasize that our responsibility as a reputable publication wasn’t to shy away from challenges, but rather to step into our duties to report, inform and handle situations with ethicality and professionalism.”

For that growth, for that attitude, for his accomplished body of work, for the innovation he brought to one of the country’s most innovative student publications, Tai was recognized today in Seattle as the Journalism Education Association’s 2025 Journalist of the Year.

Tai is co-editor of the El Estoque newsmagazine at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California. The honor includes a $4,000 scholarship, which he will use at Northwestern University, where he plans to study data science and hopefully continue his work in journalism and communications.

Monta Vista adviser Julia Satterthwaite, MJE, said Tai has redefined what it means to be a student journalist.

“First of all, Alan has mastered ALL the journalism skills including writing, photography, design, multimedia and social media,” she wrote. “Beyond the essential journalism skills, Alan also uses his creativity to innovate. From coding a custom video game-themed website to using 360 degree photos and publishing interactive quizzes, Alan consistently steps out of his comfort zone and moves our publication forward.”

Co-editor Kathryn Foo, who shared the anecdote about the editorial board meeting above, praised Tai as someone constantly working to improve the publication and the students who work on it. He redesigned the website. He coaches younger staff members. He shares his distaste for the Oxford comma with all who will listen.

“Alan has become a significant resource and a model for our staff to look up to and confide in, and I can imagine him becoming this same mentor to other journalists,” Foo wrote. “I highly recommend Alan Tai to be this year’s Journalist of the Year, as his dedication to the art of journalism in the form of reporting and leadership should be something seen and recognized.”

Beyond journalism, Tai is a straight-A student, a National Merit Scholarship Finalist, a champion debater and a caretaker to his brother Jeremy, who is autistic. That last trait has been one of his most defining.

“Growing up with an autistic brother, I know what it’s like to feel unheard. I know the frustration of struggling to communicate, of having things to say but being unable to say them,” Tai wrote. “I’ve considered the human element of every story I write. I report on the stories of newly arrived immigrants and longtime residents watching their community change beyond recognition. I research the palpable impacts of policies in my editorials to analyze their effects on individual livelihoods, finding the people behind every statistic.”

Tai is the seventh JOY winner from California and the second from Monta Vista High School.

JEA honors finalists from England, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, Virginia

From a pool of more than 230 entries submitted to 39 state-level contests, JEA also honored five finalists with $1,200 scholarships. The Journalist of the Year scholarships are named for Sister Rita Jean Abicht, JEA’s former treasurer.

Sophia Bateman, The American School in London (England)

Sophia Bateman freely admits she first took journalism because she’d heard it was an easy class, noted adviser Louisa Avery, MJE. It wasn’t, of course, and it turned out to become her passion.

“She didn’t really fall in love with it until she became an editor in her junior year, when she not only realized the impact her stories could have on the community but also the impact she could have on younger writers. What she has accomplished since then is remarkable,” Avery wrote.

That reach extended beyond the staff of The Standard, as Bateman helped create a club for even more students to get involved.

“She has built valuable and meaningful relationships with the editorial board and reporters who look up to her as a role model and standard for journalistic excellence,” wrote Jaden Gardiola, The Standard’s broadcast editor and Bateman’s friend. “Sophia holds herself to a high standard that makes everyone around her want to improve their work as well, and yet Sophia is unfailingly receptive and thoughtful of the community of student journalists around her.”

Bateman, like Tai, will be attending Northwestern University. She said telling profound stories comes from taking the time to truly hear someone’s voice.

“The best stories are born from courage — the courage to ask difficult questions, listen with an open heart, and tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable,” she wrote. “I strive to inspire this courage in my team on The Standard, just as journalism has inspired it in me. Whether it’s mentoring a younger reporter through their first interview or pushing my team to take on more ambitious investigations and packages, I want us to uncover stories that need to be told. Together, we’re creating a space to inform, illuminate and give voice to the silent struggles and unnoticed triumphs that define our shared humanity.”

Wyatt Meyer, Clarke Central High School (Athens, Georgia)

Finding an audience and purpose was key for Wyatt Meyer, editor in chief of The ODYSSEY Media Group at Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia.

“For the first 14 years of my life, my beef with academics was that the work I produced never went anywhere, and never made a difference,” he wrote. “In journalism, I’ve found an outlet that drives me as relentlessly as any academic class while also allowing me to make a tangible impact on my community.”

That sense of purpose spurred him to report on topics such as localizing politics and providing important context to a deadly shooting at nearby Apalachee High School.

“I must give Wyatt credit for his mature and sensitive handling of a feature story investigating the mental health supports in place not only at Clarke Central but also at Apalachee High School in the aftermath of the shooting,” wrote adviser David Ragsdale, CJE. “Wyatt made ethical decisions throughout his coverage and interviewed dozens of stakeholders from the story, from support personnel at both high schools, parents, mental health professionals, teachers and school leadership. His objectivity, fact-checking and desire to seek truth and report it in the face of reluctant sources was inspiring.

Contest juror Jack Kennedy, MJE, of Colorado praised Meyer for creating meaningful, impactful work.

“The attention to sophisticated story angles and to giving readers a reason to invest some time in the reporting… and the focus on people and their experiences … plus the range of reporting experiences,” he wrote, “all combines to show yourself as a writer and thinker who has thought deeply about not only what it means to be a journalist but what it means to be a writer and, more deeply, what it means to be human and to care about other people and their lives.”

Meyer wants to be a narrative journalist who can immerse himself into culture and reporting on it from within.

Arti Jain, Ladue Horton Watkins High School (St. Louis, Missouri)

Before she was her school magazine’s first solo editor in chief in at least a decade, Arti Jain almost quit journalism. A discouraging encounter with a past editor at Ladue Horton Watkins High School made her feel small, weak and worthless.

“I ran out of the room crying, beelining for the bathroom,” she wrote. “Grabbing some paper towels, I locked myself in a stall and slid down to the sticky floor. I’d never felt so defeated in my entire life.”

Eventually, another staff member found her and convinced her – in words and actions — to stay. Spurred by that interaction, Jain entered this school year with a mantra for her own tenure, typed into her phone’s Notes app: “Inspire to lead.”

“I reread that entry every time I walk into Room 1311, allowing it to guide how I operate as both a reporter and editor,” Jain said. “It’s in the discussions I have with staff members, starting each conversation by asking how they are rather than how their story is going.”

As for Jain? Things are going pretty well for the leader of Ladue Publications, according to adviser Sarah Kirksey, MJE.

“She thrives in a newsroom with a million things going on at once and in different stages of completion and disaster,” Kirksey wrote. “Her talent for writing and design is apparent in everything she touches, whether that be making edits for another student, picking up a page that suddenly fell through, or letting her creativity flow while managing the literary magazine, of which she is also editor in chief. I have never been so impressed and taken aback by a student’s ability to lead, write, and create as I have with Arti. I know she will bring this energy, passion and skillset.”

Contest juror Erinn Harris, MJE, hailed Jain’s design work.

“I have never heard of anyone call designing therapeutic, but I LOVE THAT,” she wrote. You could be a professional designer right here this very minute. Stunning.”

Krista Fleming, Hebron High School (Lewisville, Texas)

Adviser Steven Jones of Hebron High School calls Hawk Eye’s editor in chief Krista Fleming a journalism adviser’s dream.

“She is eager to learn, intrinsically motivated to be great and never satisfied with work that is simply good enough,” he wrote. “Krista is a naturally gifted writer and photographer, a compassionate interviewer and a bold leader in the newsroom”

“Above all else,” Jones continued, “Krista believes in journalism and the importance of telling important stories accurately and in an engaging way. She has a strong sense of journalistic ethics and works to ensure her work and the work of her peers maintains a high level of integrity.”

Contest juror Jessica Hunziker, MJE, of Colorado said Fleming’s portfolio has “it.”

“Excellent work reflecting on yourself as a leader while also showcasing how your leadership impacts your staff,” Hunziker said. “It’s clear that you lead throughout the year and have strong systems in place to ensure that production can happen in a consistent manner.”

Fleming joined journalism to fill a gap on her schedule, but the class quickly became her favorite.

“I loved the stories I found through books, theater and music, and I’ve spent hours agonizing over every little detail of punctuation. Journalism combined both, and, pretty soon, my love for stories became a love for telling them. I didn’t just fall in love with journalism, I found my identity in it.”

That meant Friday nights at football games followed by Saturday mornings editing. It meant sleepovers became brainstorming sessions. And it meant, as she articulated in her personal narrative, no longer being known only in relation to others in her large family.

“Everyone had their own interests and their own place — their own identity. My identity was in relation to theirs. At church, I was Crissy’s kid. To anyone in the city, I was Sean Fleming’s daughter. In almost every hobby or elective, I was Audri and Alli’s little sister. Everywhere I went, — everything I did — I was in someone else’s shadow.”

Not anymore. Fleming is heading to the University of Oklahoma.

Grace Sharma, Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology (Alexandria, Virginia)

Adviser Lisa Hampton describes tjTODAY editor in chief Grace Sharma as a virtual co-teacher.

“Editors at most school publications author multiple top-notch articles monthly, but how many independently volunteer to plan lessons, deliver that instruction with original slide presentations, design and assign practice activities, and provide detailed, high-quality, and constructive feedback to each student?” Hampton wrote.

Sharma is a pretty prolific journalist as well. As a junior, she was responsible for 146 of the 164 articles posted online last school year.

“When we won the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Trophy Class award for our online news website last fall, what people didn’t realize was that Grace basically earned that award single-handedly,” wrote fellow student Hannah Liu. “Without her, I honestly don’t know if our website would still be standing today.”

Beyond quantity, though, was the matter of quality, including a deeply researched piece that started as a look at academic cheating but turned into an in-depth look at what reporting found to be an underlying cause: stress.

“My curiosity overtook my lasting fear of judgment. The story became something I wanted to know, wanted to share. Needed to share,” Sharma wrote.

Sharma said her journalism work irrevocably shaped her as a person.

“Every struggle and trial I overcame has made me a stronger reporter,” she wrote on her portfolio website. “Every new person I speak with has made me a more well-rounded person.”

“I am, most of all, thankful to the Jefferson community for serving as the lively backdrop of my experiences. To be a journalist is to tell the stories of the people within one’s community, and mine is Jefferson,” she wrote. “My peers have taught me to interview with confidence and report with passion; my teachers have taught me to learn with humility and write with compassion.”

Sharma plans to continue her journalism studies at Northwestern University.

State winners

The JEA Journalist of the Year competition starts at the state level, with winners from qualifying contests in each state, Washington, D.C. and JEA members at international schools. A jury of 11 volunteers evaluated entries based on the 11 areas outlined on the competition rubric. Each candidate was nominated by a JEA member adviser.

Click on the links below to view each state winner’s portfolio. Portfolio access is maintained by the student winners and some portfolios may become unavailable.

ALABAMA: Oswin Colley, Thompson High School (adviser Christina Chambers)

ARIZONA: Sydney Voorhees, Willow Canyon High School (adviser Amy Morrison)

ARKANSAS: Kate Bunnell, Southside High School (adviser Samantha Lehman)

CALIFORNIA:  Alan Tai, Monta Vista High School (adviser Julia Satterthwaite, MJE)

COLORADO: Jacob Chau, Grandview High School (adviser Scott Roberts)

CONNECTICUT: Ella Franzman, Jonathan Law High School (adviser Chris Kulenych)

DELAWARE Madison Keener, Padua Academy (adviser Dennis Leizear, CJE)

FLORIDA: Kailey Calvo, Hagerty High School (adviser Brit Taylor)

GEORGIA: Wyatt Meyer, Clarke Central High School (adviser David Ragsdale, CJE)

HAWAII: Kaelyn Pacpaco, Iolani School (adviser Lindsey Combs)

IDAHO: Alyssa Caywood, Lakeland High School  (adviser Mike Dunn, CJE)

ILLINOIS: Kate Brody, York Community High School (advisers Payton Froats and Kaitlyn Metzler)

INDIANA: Ava Campbell, Southport High School (adviser Mike Klopfenstein)

INTERNATIONAL: Sophia Bateman, The American School in London (adviser Louisa Avery, MJE)

IOWA: Kaylynn Crawford, Waterloo West High School (adviser Nicole Goodman, CJE)

KANSAS: Zana Kennedy, Lawrence High School (adviser Barb Tholen, MJE)

KENTUCKY: Milana Ilickovic, Bullitt East High School (adviser Larry Steinmetz, MJE)

MARYLAND: Seyun Park, Walter Johnson High School (adviser Wendy Borrelli)

MASSACHUSETTS: Deepa Gautam, Westford Academy (advisers Janet Fonden and Jack Holbrook)

MICHIGAN: Cody Stedman, Saline High School (adviser Nathan Bush)

MINNESOTA: Yoni Zacks, Blake School (adviser Anna Reid)

MISSISSIPPI: Gabriella Russo, South Panola High School (adviser Dustin Cockrell)

MISSOURI: Arti Jain, Ladue Horton Watkins High School (adviser Sarah Kirksey, MJE)

MONTANA: Piper Lee, Bigfork High School (adviser Annmari Sikon)

NEBRASKA: Ava Waggoner, Westside High School (adviser Brett Grell)

NEW JERSEY: Stella Feinstein, Communications High School (adviser Wayne Woolley)

NORTH CAROLINA: Peggy Chen, Green Hope High School (adviser Matthew Mayse)

OHIO: Gracelyn Stoller, Antwerp Local School (adviser Amy Sorrell, MJE)

OKLAHOMA: Megan Janzen, Edmond North High School (adviser Benjamin Campbell)

OREGON: Charlie Bloomer, Sandy High School (adviser JD McIntire)

PENNSYLVANIA: Ayaan Shah, Emmaus High School (advisers Shelby Ramirez and Matthew Shaw)

SOUTH CAROLINA: Lillian Mirosavich, Richland Northeast High School (adviser Leslie Dennis)

SOUTH DAKOTA: Cash Daigle, Sturgis Brown High School (adviser Shane Whidby)

TENNESSEE: Noah Certion, Arlington High School (adviser Patrick Ashbee)

TEXAS: Krista Fleming, Hebron High School (adviser Steven Jones)

VIRGINIA: Grace Sharma, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (adviser Lisa Hampton)

WASHINGTON:  Lola Woodburn, Puyallup High School (adviser Sandra Coyer, MJE)

WEST VIRGINIA: Kendra Lee, Point Pleasant Junior/Senior High School (adviser Andrew Layton)

WISCONSIN: Ava Smith, Indian Trail High School and Academy (adviser Michelle Corbett)

State winners and finalists were honored April 24 at the Spring JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Seattle, Washington. The JEA Journalist of the Year was named April 26 at the convention.