Elizabeth Suh’s initial reaction to hearing that she was part of a team nominated for the most prestigious award in journalism was one word.

Why?

Suh, 23, a cub reporter at The Oregonian, was part of a nine-member team that won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting. The group had closely covered the story of James Kim and his missing family in the Oregon mountains last year. Countless words and grueling hours were dedicated to covering one of the biggest news stories last year that ended sadly after Kim’s body was found in the snow shortly after his wife and two daughters were rescued.

Suh was responsible for keeping in touch with Kim’s family and friends and the daily updates on the massive search.

“I started to become more proud with time as I reflected on the fact that I had put so much effort into it,” she said.

Suh, who graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park in 2004, landed a job at The Oregonian last fall. The young journalist, who credits her Korean-language skills for scoring a spot on the team, is a night cops reporter at the paper.

 

-Ellyn Pak