This just in: Prospect senior is Illinois Journalist of the Year

Olivia Kim, editor-in-chief of The Prospector, the student newspaper of Prospect High School, was named Illinois Journalist of the Year by the Illinois Journalism Education Association. The award is presented to a student journalist, based on their portfolio of work.

Olivia was honored based on her four-year career at The Prospector and the rest of the KnightMedia program, which includes not only the print newspaper but also an online edition, as well as video news and podcasts. This is the third time in the past four years that a Prospect student has been named Illinois Journalist of the Year.

Prospector adviser and journalism teacher Jason Block says the award recognizes Olivia's reporting, writing, editing and leadership skills, particularly in her senior year.

For her part, Olivia remembers attending the Prospect activities fair as a soon-to-be freshman, and reading through the newspaper the Prospector team was handing out.

"My mom and I read through it and I thought it was cool - reporting, researching and talking to people,"she says. "I was super shy, and wanted to find a network of people I could be with in high school."

She joined the Prospector staff and also has taken a series of journalism classes at Prospect, beginning with Intro to Journalism as a freshman.

"What's been surprising to me about journalism is that I didn't expect so much writing,"she says. "My brain is math-science. But journalism has pushed me to think outside the box. It's also been more collaborative than I expected it to be."

She's considering a double major in college, perhaps a combination like political science and molecular biology. She says being involved in journalism has taught her the value of working on policy matters.

"I'd like a career in the healthcare field, but I also like the idea of forming public policy,&" she says.

Olivia will represent Illinois in the national Journalist of the Year competition. The winner will be announced in April.