Meet Harper Liller
Scholastic Journalist of the Year 2026
Harper Liller
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Harper Liller, a senior at Boardman High School, took top honors in the Scholastic Journalism Awards and was named Scholastic Journalist of the Year by the Youngstown Press Club.
No newcomer to student media, Harper has been involved in journalism for seven years, starting to write school news for her middle school paper when she was in fifth grade. Once at BHS, on a whim, she signed up for the Youngstown State University English Festival and won first place in their journalism workshop. “This really gave me confidence in my writing, and when I learned that our journalism teacher was also my favorite teacher from freshman year, I knew that I had to take the class,” she said. “I made countless friends in the class, and our small staff allowed me to connect with almost all of our staff writers and editors.” This year, she is editor-in-chief of The Boardman Bugle. Leading up to that, she reported on and wrote stories on a variety of topics. Her first front-page story stands out as particularly memorable. |
“I did lots of digging and interviews to get the full scope of the story. It was about the election of the new YSU president, and I got to interview a few teachers in the union, some students, and even got a comment from (YSU President) Bill Johnson himself, which was a big deal at the time,” she said. “It was the first time that I really got to prove myself as a writer.”
A passionate environmentalist and climate justice advocate, Harper also works at OH WOW! as a curiosity guide, is captain of her school’s Envirothon team, and runs the light board for BHS’s musical theater.
After graduation, Harper will attend Oberlin College and pursue a law degree. However, she hopes to write for the Oberlin newspaper, knowing that her journalism skills will serve her well.
“Journalism has also given me people skills, since it requires interacting with so many people from different walks of life,” she said. “I think that these skills could be used in any professional setting no matter the field.”
A passionate environmentalist and climate justice advocate, Harper also works at OH WOW! as a curiosity guide, is captain of her school’s Envirothon team, and runs the light board for BHS’s musical theater.
After graduation, Harper will attend Oberlin College and pursue a law degree. However, she hopes to write for the Oberlin newspaper, knowing that her journalism skills will serve her well.
“Journalism has also given me people skills, since it requires interacting with so many people from different walks of life,” she said. “I think that these skills could be used in any professional setting no matter the field.”
