Olga Kokino, author of Journalism, has served as president of the Los Angeles Journalism Teachers Association for the last eight years, coordinating regional write-off competitions with the California State University at Northridge. She has also served as a judge for the Journalism Educators Association, the California Association of Teachers of English, and has critiqued student newspapers and literary magazines JEA and the National Council Teachers of English. She received her B.A. in English from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1977, M.A. in Education and Reading Specialist Credential from UC Riverside in 1981, Certified Journalism Educator, 2000, and National Board Certification in 2001. She is a fellow of the UCLA Writing and Literature Projects, and has developed curriculum for the Institute of Standards, Curriculum and Assessment, as well as contributing to standards-based assessments for the WestEd research and consulting firm. Kokino served on the California Department of Education Recommended Literature Committee and has mentored beginning teachers and NBC candidates. She has been a frequent conference speaker in the past for ISCA, CATE, NCTE, JEA, and the International Reading Association. Her journalism students have won prestigious internships and assignments from Highwired.com, the LA Times, the CSUN Sundial, the Harvard Crimson, as well as the Hispanic Heritage Award, the KTLA Stand Chambers Journalism Awards, and the Beverly Hills Friar’s Club First Place Award in Screenwriting for high school students, among other honors. In 2003, she was recognized for outstanding classroom achievement with a Los Angles Educational Partnership Award, and in 2002 she received the Excellence Award for contributions to the teaching profession presented by the Southland Council Teachers of English. Presently, she is serving as journalism adviser, English teacher, and Title 1 Compliance Coordinator at University High School in Los Angeles. She also serves as the Staff Officer, Publications, for the USCG Auxiliary Flotilla in King Harbor. She has lessons online with the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), the Los Angeles County Office of Education, the California Technology Assistance Program, and the Teach the Teachers Collaborative.
