Former Editor in Chief of The Forum and Latin alum Eliza Lampert ‘24 was awarded the 2024 Opinion Story of the Year by the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA).
Representing more than 1,350 members, the NSPA awards prizes honoring the nation’s best student journalism.
Eliza’s Forum article, “The Crisis in the Middle East is Complex; Terrorism is Not,” offers a personal and insightful account of the impact of Hamas’ October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel. The editorial provides a balanced perspective on the complex topic while raising thought-provoking questions for consideration.
“Eliza’s opinion piece personalizes a global event with startling nuance,” English teacher and Forum advisor Lori Kloehn said. “She wrote this story quickly, understanding her community and its hunger for thoughtful reflection. Readers walked away with multiple perspectives and a richer understanding of one of the most complex stories of our time.”
Eliza said, “I did not want to write a 2000-word opinion piece simply stating my opinion and saying that anybody who disagrees is wrong.”
“I wanted to share my beliefs and my understanding of the conflict, but I wanted to do so in a productive way.”
Eliza engages her audience by blending candor with compassion.
“It is hard to humanize the issues when they are so far away and detached from a person. I wanted to provide an interpretation of the issue that would hit people closer to home,” she said. “My duty as someone who really felt that impact and had a platform was to tell the truth to my community.”
