The U-High Midway’s deputy managing editor, Téa Tamburo, has been named to the Illinois Journalism Education Association’s All-State Journalism Team. The team serves to recognize student journalists who fully dedicate themselves to their publication, through displaying leadership and energy, or sacrificing spare time to make the publication the best it can be.

This is the ninth time in a row that someone on the Midway staff has been named to the IJEA All-State Journalism Team. Since the creation of the award in 2005, a Midway staff member has been selected 15 times.

“This nomination means a lot to me. It means that not only have the efforts and dedication that I put into this publication been recognized, it also means that I can have journalistic success outside of Lab,” Téa said, “and there’s something very rewarding about knowing that. It’s also very nice to have something tangible to represent your dedication to the team.”

Téa suggests that new student journalists should be open to taking on bigger projects.

“I think that if you’re just getting started in journalism, do not limit yourself to take only typically ‘beginner’ stories,” Téa said. “Make those pitches, and throw your name in for those more complicated stories. You’ll gain a lot of experience, and even if it doesn’t go perfectly the first time, it’s still good to learn.”