Youth Journalism International’s executive director, Jackie Majerus, has been named a Friend of Scholastic Journalism by the Kansas-based Journalism Education Association.
Majerus is one of four recipients of the award from the century-old association dedicated to “encouraging student excellence and teacher achievement” with its support for “free and responsible scholastic journalism.”
Majerus, who co-founded YJI three decades ago, has worked “with hundreds, maybe thousands, of students one-on-one and in groups as the nonprofit she shepherded grew,” the JEA said in its announcement of the award.
“Jackie is the heartbeat of our community,” said Annamika Konkola, a YJI student in Oregon. “She’s always there, nudging us to connect, share ideas and find support in each other as we learn about journalism.”
Isabel Shen, a YJI student in California, called Majerus her “Zoom mom” because she is “always taking the time to hear about my day or different article ideas.”
“On countless Sunday mornings and Thursday afternoons, I have watched as she teaches a group of students from around the world about how to approach interviews, where to find ideas for our writing, who to reach out to next — or just asks us about our lives,” Konkola said.
“She always asks amazing questions. We each have different voices, interests, and dreams, but she approaches us all with the same thoughtfulness and enthusiasm,” Konkola said.
“Her tireless work ethic and the kindness she brings with it are refreshing and inspiring,” said Mayalie Cieutat, a YJI student in France. “Jackie’s unfailing selflessness never stops encouraging us to keep learning, do better and stay positive.”
“She started as one of them,” retired Missouri educator and journalism adviser Mitch Eden said.
“Frustrated by a meddling high school administration, she quit her position as editor of the Cedar Falls High School newspaper and started her own underground paper,” Eden said. “She managed to publish it regularly throughout her senior year under the moniker ‘Sweet Jane.’ In other words, she gets it.”
“Through YJI,” Shen said, “I’ve found a platform for my voice and opinions, and am so grateful to Jackie for supporting me along the way. She’s been patient, understanding and encouraging as I juggled high school’s many burdens while trying to contribute to YJI,” Shen said.
“Jackie’s belief in us has been the single biggest influence on how I think about writing,” Konkola said. “Because of her, I feel I’ve gained a better idea of myself, and knowing I have a community of friendships at YJI is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received.”
After enjoying a successful career as a newspaper reporter in Connecticut, New York and Illinois, Majerus dedicated her professional work completely to YJI in 2011.
She’s served as a keynote speaker, and as a judge in high school journalism contests put on by the National Scholastic Press Association, Baruch College in New York City and the Florida Scholastic Press Association.
Majerus has also won her own awards, including a 2023 Gold Laureate from the Global Youth & News Media Prize for news/media literacy.
Majerus “organized major conferences in Istanbul, Prague and Mexico City that brought active students together, including many who could never have paid their way without YJI’s support,” the JEA said.
Majerus, who grew up in Iowa and Wisconsin, is a graduate of The University of Iowa. She and her husband, journalist and YJI co-founder Steve Collins, live in Maine and have two grown children.
In addition to Majerus, the JEA awarded Friends of Scholastic Journalism awards this fall to Lara Bergen, director of the nonprofit Press Pass NYC; Varsity Yearbooks representative Dan Mueller; and the North Carolina Press Foundation.
All four will be formally recognized during a national convention of the JEA and National Scholastic Press Association in November in Philadelphia. The awards have been given out annually since 1967.
Prior winners include the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, the ‘Lou Grant’ television show, the National Federation of Press Women, and Mary Beth Tinker, a First Amendment advocate. Tinker was the lead plaintiff in the landmark 1969 Supreme Court case, Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District that set a precedent giving students a free speech right in school.
