This year’s Mississippi High School Journalist of the Year is Winnie Wilson, editor-in-chief of the Charger student newspaper at Oxford High School.

Wilson is a senior at Oxford High School and serves as editor-in-chief, student body president, founding member of student organizations, and many more.

“Winnie has been an exceptional leader and she is one of the top students I have ever encountered in my career,” the Charger adviser Diala Chaney said. “I am so proud of her and all the hard work she has put in as a student journalist for the past four years.”

Wilson will now advance to the national level of the Journalism Education Association’s High School Journalist of the Year competition, where she will compete for up to $3,000 in scholarship award money. As Mississippi’s top scholastic journalist, she will also headline a select group of yet-to-be-announced All-Mississippi honorees at MSPA’s statewide spring convention on Wednesday, March 22 at the University of Mississippi.

“Journalism has taught me how to write stories that an audience actually wants to read,” Wilson shared. “These numerous experiences sharpened my leadership ability as I learned how to meet deadlines and guide a newsroom towards a collective product.”

She plans to attend the University of Virginia majoring in Political Philosophy, Policy & Law while minoring in journalism. “Journalism has taught me to be bold and always look for integrity, ethics, and excellence in life which is partially what inspired me to attend the University of Virginia,” Wilson said.

“I am overwhelmed with gratitude to have been selected as the Mississippi Journalist of the Year. Starting journalism as a young high school student, I would’ve never guessed the impact that it would have on me and that I would end up receiving this award at the end of my senior year. I am beyond grateful for my adviser, Diala Chaney, who has encouraged me to push myself in pursuit of big stories and has always been available and excited to help with any endeavor at any time of the day.”

Wilson’s winning portfolio can be found here.