The Iowa High School Press Association and the Iowa Newspaper Foundation chose Krisha Kapoor ’23 as Iowa’s Journalist of the Year. Along with the honor, Kapoor receives a scholarship and is now eligible for the National Journalist of the Year award and scholarship, which the Journalism Education Association will reveal at the national journalism convention in San Francisco April 20-22.

Kapoor created a portfolio as part of the application process. The judging committee noted her plethora of skills from reporting and writing to making good photos and video, to audio and design. “Krisha demonstrates a firm grasp of what it takes to engage diverse audiences in modern-day journalism by knowing what a news story is and how to lead a newsroom staff to tell that story,” the committee said in its critique of her work. The committee also took note of her understanding of student press rights and responsibilities.

Payton Strobel ’23 of Waukee Northwest was runner-up, and Shobini Iyer ’23 of Pleasant Valley received third place.

Previous WSS alumni named Iowa’s Journalists of the Year include Kailey Gee in 2022, Natalie Dunlap in 2020 and Isabelle Robles in 2017.