Senior Advocate Editor-in-Chief Harshitha Kothapalli was recently named Connecticut High School Journalist of the Year. (Photo courtesy @jlawadvocate)

By Kayla Markowitz – Editor-in-Chief 

Senior Advocate Editor-in-Chief Harshitha Kothapalli was recently named Connecticut High School Journalist of the Year. 

The New England Scholastic Press Association annually selects high school journalists from across New England to be a part of their All-New England High School Journalism Staff, and from that list, they pick one High School Journalism of the Year from each state. This year, Kothapalli was one of six to be granted the prestigious honor. 

“After focusing my high school career on journalism over the past few years, I am more than honored to be recognized for my work,” Kothapalli said. “I hope my portfolio will convince many other young journalists to pursue their passion.”

NESPA’s mission is to promote excellence and growth within the regional community of scholastic Journalism. They also strive to encourage high standards in student journalism, which Kothapalli embodies through her work ethic, creativity, and collaborative efforts in the newsroom

“Harshitha has been an incredible member and leader of The Advocate staff for four years, so I am so proud that she was able to end her high school career with this honor,” Journalism teacher Mr. Kulenych said. “She is a well-rounded and talented writer, editor, photographer, and broadcaster, and I can’t wait to see where her journalism career takes her after high school.”

The NESPA invites all named High School Journalists of the Year to apply for the National High School Journalist of the Year award, for which Kothapalli has recently submitted an application. 

“I recently applied for the National High School Journalist Award presented by the Journalism Education Association,” Kothapalli said. “The application process included a journalistic portfolio, resume, letters of recommendation, personal statement, and more.” 

Throughout her high school career, Kothapalli has dedicated her free time to refining her skills as a journalist and plans to continue growing her passion during her time at college. Her ultimate goal is to become a political journalist. 

“In the future, I am planning on majoring in Journalism with a concentration in political communication. I hope to take those skills and provide honest and unbiased reporting, representing communities and events to their true capacity. 

As a role model for younger students in journalism, in and outside of the newsroom, Kothapalli’s honor is no surprise to The Advocate’s Staff Reporters. 

“There is no one more deserving of this title than Harshi,” Sophomore News Editor Cora Aikenhead said. “She constantly puts full effort into writing articles of truly the best quality, which adds to both her credibility and the substance of The Advocate for our class as a whole.”