Lori Olszewski

“I’m not one of those people who does the same thing or stays in the same place for 25 years,” Lori Olszewski says.

No kidding.

Check this resume: Grew up on the South Side, the daughter of a Chicago cop. Attended NIU (“It’s a great school for people without a lot of money,” she says.) During a study-abroad year in college, lived with a countess in Austria and went to school on the campus used as “The Sound of Music” set. Spent 11 years as a reporter in northwest Indiana, for the Hammond Times and the Gary Post-Tribune. Moved to the West Coast in 1988. As a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, did some of the earliest reporting on the AIDS epidemic. Reported on human rights abuses in Romania – “the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life” – in stories the United Nations cited when leveling sanctions. Took six months off the newspaper to work on “School Colors,” a PBS Frontline documentary about race relations that won the DuPont award. Won a national award for education reporting, for her coverage of the Oakland school district. One of 12 journalists selected for Harvard University’s prestigious Nieman Fellowship in 1999-2000. Returned to Chicago in 2001 to become an education writer for the Chicago Tribune. A mile-long list of achievements and awards.

And it all started at the Northern Star, which she says is still influencing her journalistic life. “It’s the reason I’m a reporter. It’s where I learned how to be a reporter – to interview, to manage a beat. Most important, I learned the values. There’s no point in doing this unless you believe in the public service aspect of it. I think there’s more than enough entertainment in the world. We bring that watchdog function. And we create a sense of community. I believe that what we do can make the world a better place if we do it right.”

That, along with the variety, is why Lori’s never thought seriously of a career change.

“For me, it’s knowing myself and what keeps me jazzed. A lot of people get into habit trails, where they just keep doing the same thing. What keeps my passion going is, I try to challenge myself and get new experiences every couple of years. Each new thing opens your eyes.”