When Echo editor-in-chief Ethan Brown was named Minnesota’s high school journalist of the year by the Journalism Education Association (JEA), he was quick to credit his co-editors and staff.

“I was really honored to receive recognition for what I have been putting a lot of passion into for the last few years of my life. I think it not only speaks volumes about my work as a journalist, but about the work of the publication as a whole,” Brown said. “A lot of the stuff I talk about in the application is about people in the Echo who I work with and assist on a daily basis, so it speaks to the level of tenacity and passion everyone on Echo has for journalism.”

Junior In-Depth editor Annabella Strathman, who was recently named Echo editor-in-chief for next school year, said Brown’s devotion to journalism is inspiring to his staff.

“Ethan has a natural passion for journalism as a whole and student journalism in particular, and that translates well to the Echo because he encourages others well and makes sure everybody is not only producing the best possible content, but also having the best time and enjoying the journalism they are producing,” Strathman said.

Brown said Echo colleagues have helped him achieve this feat.

“They have helped me a lot in the sense that everyone on Echo helps everyone out. In Echo, everyone learns from everyone so even though I am editor-in-chief, I am constantly learning from people like my writers, my editors, my co-chief Maggie (Bahnson), and my adviser (Lori) Keekley as well,” Brown said. “Everyone in Echo has gotten me to this point because I have learned something from everybody along the way, and without every lesson I’ve learned from them I would not be the journalist I am today.”

Brown said he draws his inspiration as a journalist from his uncle.

“My uncle is an investigative reporter for MPR and he is on the team that broke the rape scandal (involving) the archdiocese in St. Paul, so that was really the first instance of me being really interested in the journalistic process,” Brown said. “He would come to family dinners late because he was in the newsroom working on those stories, and I just thought that was so cool.”

Brown said he worked hard to apply for Journalist of the Year.

“I had to write an essay, compile letters of (recommendation), and then create an online portfolio of my journalistic work,” Brown said. “That included samples of my writing, design I’ve done, photos i’ve taken, along with other examples of qualities I have as a journalist such as leadership skills (and) knowledge of editing.”

Brown is now entered in the national Journalist of the Year contest.

Next fall, Brown will attend the University of Missouri School of Journalism where he plans to study convergence journalism and political science.