This year’s Mississippi High School Journalist of the Year is Gabriella Russo, co-executive producer of Tiger TV Media Group at South Panola High School.
Russo is a senior at South Panola High school and serves as the Tiger TV co-executive producer, captain of the school’s cross country and track team, student council senior class representative, and many more.
“From the moment she joined, she set herself apart with her relentless drive, creativity, and professionalism,” media adviser Dustin Cockrell said. “Whether covering school events, producing in-depth reports, or leading her peers, she always pursued excellence. She is, without a doubt, the best journalist I have ever taught.”
Cockrell stepped in as the new media adviser for Tiger TV during Russo’s sophomore year. Since then, the program has seen exponential growth.
“We’ve kind of built this program from the ground up,” Russo said. “My sophomore year, only 30 of us interviewed and for the past two years we’ve had over 150 applications each year.”
Russo 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 convention on Friday, March 28 at the University of Mississippi.
“I was really shocked, excited, and honored to win such an award,” Russo said. “This is also a big deal for our entire school. It’s the first time in South Panola history that anybody has won an award at MSPA.”
“This award is always insanely competitive, so no decision is ever easy, but Gabbie’s portfolio speaks to the value of scholastic journalism in so many ways,” MSPA Director Dr. R.J. Morgan said. “She has a broad and impressive set of skills, and has put them to good use serving her school community. We couldn’t be prouder.”
Russo is currently planning to attend Mississippi State University to study Biological Sciences with a pre med concentration. She plans to become an orthopedic doctor to continue helping others.
“Journalism has played such an important part of my high school education. It has taught me important leadership, communication, and people skills that I’ll use for the rest of my life. Journalism has ignited a spark in me that I never knew I needed, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me next,” Russo said.
Russo’s winning portfolio can be found here.
