Introducing one of the 2025 Eastern Echo Hall of Fame members at a Thursday awards dinner, 2024 inductee Rob Musial repeated something he said former Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel editor Kristy Montee had shared.
"Life is great, and I owe much of it to The Echo," Montee had told Musial.
Kristy Montee is a 2025 inductee to The Eastern Echo Hall of Fame. (Courtesy Kristy Montee via KillZone Blog)
Moments later, speaking to the banquet crowd via Zoom, Montee repeated the sentiment: “The Echo took me in and gave me a sense of belonging. It gave me a sense of direction.”
Montee was one of three Eastern Echo alumni honored Thursday, March 27, at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse as the Eastern Michigan University student media team celebrated their work and honored former Echo team members who have had distinguished careers in the field of journalism.
In addition to Montee, Detroit News reporter Kim Kozlowski and broadcaster Joe Misiewicz were inducted as 2025 members of The Eastern Echo Hall of Fame at the gala. Catered by Haifa Falafel, the gala included comments from each of the new inductees, the announcement of awards for student journalists, and a silent auction to raise scholarship funding for student journalists.
Among the student awards, Digital Editor Julez DeShetler was named the 2025 Echo Videographer of the Year. Frank Remski, who writes film and theater reviews for The Echo, received the 2025 Columnist of the Year honor.
“He does such an exceptional job of writing reviews. He’s really set the standard,” Christine Uthoff, student media advisor for the Echo, said of Remski's work.
Echo Design Chief Rylee Curley received the 2025 Artist of the Year honor. Rylee is the creator of The Echo's mascot, Scoop, who helps to share the weather news on the printed pages of The Eastern Echo, and online through features such as Scoop on the Scene. Editors said Scoop, an eagle often depicted wearing a news hat and holding a newspaper, is the cousin of EMU's mascot Swoop.
Among the other staff awards, Photo Editor Max Taylor received the Photographer of the Year honors. Olivia Hendry, the team's managing editor, was honored with the Reporter of the Year award after joining the Echo staff last semester in the fall.
“You never know what a difference one person can make in a newsroom, and Olivia does that,” Uthoff said of Hendry. “She brought a sense of energy, idealism, and attitude to our staff that has helped us accomplish our goals, including putting all of this together. ... She also wrote a lot of stories.”
Ameera Salman, editor-in-chief, was given the Echo Leader of the Year award. Uthoff said she remembered when Salman first walked into her office two years ago describing goals and all the things she could do as a member of the student media team. Uthoff said Salman succeeded in reaching those goals, and more.
Madison Cantrell, the editor in chief of the Eastern arts and literary magazine Cellar Roots, received the Magazine Editor of the Year award. Cantrell also announced that the 51st edition of the magazine is now available for purchase on Amazon, and the team is hosting a launch party from 6-9 p.m. April 3 in the Student Center Intermedia Gallery. Works included in the magazine will be on display in the gallery during the party, and throughout the month of April.
Kevin Allen, the 2023 inductee to The Eastern Echo Hall of Fame and the committee's chairman, kicked off the Hall of Fame induction activities. He described the history of the Hall of Fame, now in its third year, and told the crowd that the list of potential members is already long and distinguished, and he wants to make sure to get everybody honored.
2025 inductee Kim Kozlowski was introduced by her husband, Jeff Bennett. Kozlowski works for the Detroit News. Bennett is a former reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Allen said that their relationship was the ultimate romantic story that they worked for opposing Detroit newspapers.
“I’ve never met somebody so committed to journalism and committed to going the extra step to doing whatever it takes to write a big story,” Bennett said while introducing Kozlowski. “It was good that she never really picked up school teaching and that she found a home here at The Echo.”
Kozlowski said she was grateful to be present at the gala especially because just hours before arriving at the Freighthouse, she was writing a breaking news story about the University of Michigan's decision to abolish its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program.
Entering her senior year in high school, Kozlowski said, she wasn’t thinking about college. Then, a woman who was seeing her father’s grandparents asked her where she was going, as if it were the next natural step. Kozlowski said she reflected on that question, and soon found herself on EMU's campus, a first-generation college student studying to become a teacher.
She then joined The Echo staff and quickly realized that she enjoyed writing more than teaching.
Kozlowski worked for The Echo from 1989-1991. Her professional experience includes more than 25 years at various newspapers including The Ypsilanti Press, The Citizen in Upstate New York, the Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota, and the Kansas City Star in Missouri, before joining The Detroit News.
Ameera Salaman introduced the next inductee, Joe Misiewicz, an Echo alum and retired professor and broadcast journalist who is known by many journalists as Dr. Joe. The Echo honor marked Misiewicz's third Hall of Fame award. He is a member of halls of fame at Central Michigan University and Ball State University in Indiana. Misiewicz taught at Central and Ball State in addition to his time as a professor at Eastern Michigan.
Misiewicz stepped to the lectern Thursday and immediately donned his Eastern Echo hat. He then showed the audience a 1967 copy of the newspaper. Misiewicz said he was appreciative of his buddy, Dennis Beagen, who nominated him for the award; his wife, Kerri; and of Echo Editor-in-Chief Ameera Salaman, who wrote the article about his selection. Misiewicz said Salman turned the interview into a conversation, which is the way it should be done.
Musial, as he introduced Montee, listed several key positions she held in professional journalism before re-inventing herself as a New York Times best-selling author along with her sister Kelly Nichols. Musial also said that Montee knew from a young age what she wanted to do; evidence by the creation of a neighborhood paper for her suburban block in Detroit when she was in the fourth grade.
Speaking over a video-call from her home in Florida, Montee told the crowd that she cherished her time at Eastern, and particularly at The Echo. She also said she had to thank Echo staff writer Annabelle .
“She wrote a really great story about me in the Echo," Montee said of Favre.
"She told me I had to wear something spiffy tonight,” Montee said, sparking laughter from the crowd. “I don’t own any nice clothes because I’m retired and only wear yoga pants.”
Montee received more applause as she lifted her EMU flag to the camera. She also told the crowd that she loved how The Eastern Echo still uses the old-style nameplate, because it makes her feel connected to her past.
Although she wrote that neighborhood newspaper while in grade school, Montee stepped onto Eastern's campus to study teaching. She took on The Echo job to earn a little money, at first. She graduated with an education degree, but it was writing — and her Echo experiences — that launched her career.
Visual recap of the 2025 Eastern Echo Student Media Gala (Gallery by Max Taylor)
