Last year, he won a contest held by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof to go with him on a reporting trip to Africa. The two winners would blog from Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Okun's blog is at nytimes.com/twofortheroad.)

Okun's blogging turned into another Times gig, a blog about schools at http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/author/wokun.

Okun learned photography while a reporter in the mountains of North Carolina, gaining a friend and coach in renowned photographer Rob Amberg. When I told Amberg that Okun called him his mentor, he replied: "He is a unique talent, and I am a bit in awe of what he has accomplished so far. His work with the students in Chicago is inspiring." You can see Okun's Chicago images at wjzo.com, a site he developed to expose students to the power of photography.

With mixed feelings, the 33-year-old Okun will soon be leaving Chicago and returning to the Triangle. He said he has "plateaued" as a teacher and "I need a break." His dream job would combine his three passions: writing, photography and working with young people.

It's not surprising that Okun has devoted years trying to connect with tough-to-reach kids. He was raised in a service-minded family. His late grandfather, Dan Okun, was well-known as a professor of environmental engineering at UNC-CH and for his social activism. Will's father, Michael Okun, is a labor lawyer in Raleigh. His mother, Melva Okun, works for N.C. Prevention Partners trying to help hospitals become smoke-free and hosts a jazz radio show on WCOM, the Carrboro community radio station.

I was curious how Okun managed to win the intense competition for a spot on Kristof's trip. This is how Kristof, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, responded: "Will stood out from the moment we read his application. Among the piles of incredibly earnest applications, his was also very funny and he clearly could write.

"Moreover, Will had great depth of experience in a challenging urban American school district, and I was curious what comparisons he would draw with schools in Africa. Frankly, I also thought I was getting a bargain with Will, because I would get a photographer as well as a writer."

Okun challenged him. "I think he thought that maybe I focused too much on the negative in Africa -- and that's a fair criticism -- so he wanted to make sure that he captured plenty of the positive. And that added an important element to his blogging about the trip."

One moment stuck out. They visited a school in eastern Congo, and Kristof was interviewing the principal. Okun got bored, wandered over to the classrooms, "and began to take photos," Kristof said, "and then to ham it up with the students. He probably got a better feel for the school than I did, and the students will never forget him.

"The other thing I would add is that Will has proven an outstanding blogger about education. He wrestles with more difficult questions -- confronting the questions more honestly and intelligently -- than anybody I know. He's been a huge hit with readers, and we at the Times have been incredibly lucky to have him tell the stories of his schools on our site. I've learned a huge amount from him -- and I've been inspired as well."

New technology and an appreciation of the value of smart bloggers like Okun led the Times to provide him with a forum. It's a good template for the kind of citizen journalism that we've been trying to do with our Q section and with triangle.com.