Claire Schneider

Milana Ilickovic is JEA’s 2025 Kentucky Journalist of the Year. 

Ilickovic started in the media arts pathway her freshman year, and eventually joined Livewire. A major part of her JEA portfolio also included her work as Charged Media president and New Voices student coordinator. Submitting the portfolio was a nerve-wracking, yet rewarding experience.

From the beginning, third period Intro to Media Arts was a class period Ilickovic looked forward to. She found the content interesting; but she also shared the class with several friends. “The experience and the community of the class was great, which is what inspired me to stick with it,” Ilickovic said. 

Sophomore year, she joined Livewire as the photography editor. She focused her time on more broadly improving her skills in design, writing, and photography. Junior year is when things began to change for Ilickovic. Committed to the class, as website editor she realized the impact the class could make. “It became the biggest priority on my plate, and it really meant a lot to me.” Ilickovic said. 

Senior year, Ilickovic took on three roles: Livewire Social Media Editor, New Voices student coordinator, and Charged Media President. She brings creativity and passion to each. Ilickovic describes her style as eclectic, and it shows in her work. “A lot of the time I’ll take an angle that’s slightly different than what you would originally expect a story to be about, or throw in more color into a layout that you didn’t think needed it,” Ilickovic said. 

This year, Ilickovic has led New Voices to increased success. The New Voices bill, currently Kentucky SB 40, protects student journalists from censorship. It has been passed in 18 states, and with Ilickovic’s determination Kentucky may be next. Part of her action has included directing students to write to congress members and raising awareness on air with news stations. “I think all of our perseverance counts, and this year has just been a major step. Whether it gets passed this year or not, this year has been pivotal for the movement entirely,” Ilickovic said. 

Charged Media is the student-run business and design internship within the media arts pathway. 

Prior to being president, Ilickovic did a seventh period independent study last year, surrounding herself with the previous Charged Media staff. Still, being president wasn’t something she imagined until advisor Larry Steinmetz and  previous president Kylie Huber spoke to her about it. “I was ready the whole time, I just had to take on some more personal confidence,” Ilickovic said. 

When she did take on some more personal confidence, Ilickovic found she loved being president. In particular, she enjoyed being able to interact with both the Endeavor yearbook staff and Livewire staff, forming strong relationships with everyone. “I’ve been able to manage through delegating and prioritizing; I feel like that has really saved me this year with Charged Media being such a tight knit group of people,” Ilickovic said.

Senior year has been formative for Ilickovic. “I’ve started getting a clear vision of my future,” Ilickovic said. 

Every year, the Journalism Education Association selects a high school senior as their Journalist of the Year. Each state has a winner who goes on to compete on a national level. These winners are selected based on a portfolio review. Ilickovic considers herself a perfectionist, so when it was time to submit the sum of her career as a high school journalist, she spent a great deal of time on it. Senior year she scrapped the portfolio she had been working on for the previous two years. While she was confident in her work, she wanted to devote considerable space in her portfolio to explaining her growth. “Journalism gives students the opportunity for so much growth,” Ilickovic said. 

Ilickovic kept returning to the portfolio to make small changes in the days leading up to the submission date. After many hours spent typing away in Panera Bread, she finally hit the submit button. “Eventually I was like, ‘you know what? I did my best. I’m just gonna submit it and we’ll see what happens,’” Ilickovic said.

When Ilickovic was named the JEA’s 2025 Kentucky Journalist of the Year on the morning announcements, she was faced with the support and celebration of her classmates. “Actually getting that recognition makes me feel so seen, and it was just such a loving experience as a whole,” Ilickovic said. 

She has since submitted a revised version of her portfolio, letters of recommendation, and other information to the national competition. “I’m gonna hopefully show them what I’m capable of,” Ilickovic said.