Therasia Brautigam Named 2024 JEA Rising Star

The Journalism Education Association named Therasia Brautigam from Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Missouri, as a 2024 JEA Rising Star on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, along with eight other journalism teachers. JEA presents the award to advisers in their first five years of advising who demonstrate “commitment to scholastic journalism,” according to the JEA website, and the award is considered one of the highest honors for a relatively new yearbook adviser.

During her four years advising the Flashback yearbook as well as the student newspaper, Brautigam’s publication has been recognized in Possibilities, volumes 9 and 10 as well as the Gallery of Excellence, and she has been included in Idea File magazine. She and her students have received numerous state and national awards.

Some of those awards include Best of Show, All-Missouri honors, Outstanding First Year Educator by Rock Bridge High School, Outstanding First-Year Teacher by the Missouri Association of College Teachers of Education and the Robert J. Greef Award from the Missouri Council of Teachers of English.

“Therasia’s ability to foster a collaborative environment where students make decisions, create content, and build community is a testament to her commitment to journalism education,” Walsworth Yearbooks Sales Representative Tracy Tuley, CJE, who has worked with Brautigam over the past four years, said in a nomination letter. “Her unwavering commitment to journalism education, dedication to student empowerment, and continuous pursuit of excellence make her an exceptional candidate for this honor. She deserves recognition for her outstanding achievements and potential.”

Brautigam continues to build her program every year, becoming a reliable source of inspiration. Their 2024 yearbook cover can be spotted in the Walsworth Yearbooks Cover Gallery.

“Rock Bridge High School’s yearbook consistently impresses our team when it arrives each year. We frequently look to it as an example of journalistic excellence and eye-catching design when we need strong yearbook examples to teach or inspire other schools with. Therasia and her team always deliver!” Walsworth Yearbooks Marketing Manager Aimee Parsons said.

Other 2024 JEA Rising Stars include

Melissa Cameron from Casa Roble High School, Benjamin Campbell from Edmond North High School, Leslie Fireman from West Chicago High School, Whitney Huang, CJE, from The Harker School, Emma Kinney, CJE, from Indianola High School, Heidi Kniseley from Mission Hills High School, Shelby Nickells from Rouse High School and Deborah Porterfield, CJE, from Bronx River High School. You can read more about each of these exceptional individuals on the JEA blog.

Congratulations to all the award recipients!