Jullian Bao EDISON — Jullian Bao is making news.
The senior at J.P. Stevens High School has played an integral role in her school’s newspaper, the Hawkeye, since freshman year.
Now editor-in-chief of the quarterly publication, Bao has received recognition for her work as the winner of the New Jersey Press Association’s (NJPA) Bernard Kilgore Memorial Scholarship for 2013.
The young journalist put herself in the running for the scholarship at the urging of her adviser at J.P. Stevens.
Bao said she was thrilled to receive the call informing her that she had won.
“I was in the middle of the library,” Bao said. “I was so excited, but I couldn’t really yell or scream.”
The $5,000 prize is certainly cause for celebration for Bao, who plans to attend the University of Chicago next fall.
“[University of Chicago] was one of my top choices when I first applied,” she said, adding that along with the school’s journalism program, strong political-science offerings were also a draw.
Bao said she would like to combine the two disciplines in her career. In terms of journalism, she said a goal would be to land a job as an editor, preferably with one of her favorite publications.
“Time magazine has been something I’ve grown up with,” she said. “And the Washington Post — that’s my daily source for news.”
Another career aspiration Bao is considering is becoming a professor, largely because of the inspiration her own teachers have provided her.
Taryn Mateyka, an English teacher at J.P. Stevens, helped Bao to hone her writing skills as a junior, and Louis Andreuzzi, adviser for the Hawkeye, made a positive impression on her, Bao said.
“I think a good teacher loves teaching his or her subject, but a great teacher loves teaching students,” she said.
“Mr. Andreuzzi fits this perfectly because he spends so much time with the newspaper staff.”
Although her love for journalism blossomed in high school, the writing bug bit Bao much earlier.
“I always liked to write as a kid,” she said, adding that she recorded her thoughts in journal entries throughout her youth.
With encouragement from her mother, Bao realized that working on her high school’s newspaper was a natural fit.
“I thought it would be a way for me to publish professionally and write for an audience instead of just for myself,” she said.
By sophomore year, Bao had moved from reporter to assistant opinion editor.
As a junior, she was named opinion editor before moving up to the top spot this year.
With her recent scholarship win, Bao has also garnered the title of High School Journalist of the Year from the Garden State Scholastic Press Association.
This honor affords her the opportunity to compete to be named National High School Journalist of the Year.
Bao accepted her award at the NJPA Press Night at the Hamilton Manor, Hamilton, on April 25.