2005 Distinguished Young Alumni Award Honoree
As a student at UW-Madison, Shadid augmented his studies in journalism and political science with Arabic language courses.
In 1990, he earned his undergraduate degree in journalism and landed a position with the Associated Press as a Middle East correspondent in Cairo. His daily work ranged from reporting on events in the West Bank to interviewing Taliban fighters on the Afghanistan front. In the wake of September 11, 2001, Shadid was hired by the Boston Globe as foreign affairs writer on Arab and Muslim issues.
On March 31, 2002, shortly before he was to return to Madison to accept the School of Journalism's Ralph O. Nafziger Award for distinguished achievement within 10 years of graduation, Shadid was shot. Two weeks after a bullet tore open his shoulder, he traveled to Madison to accept the award — and deliver a forum for students interested in international news. Shadid has worked at the Washington Post since 2003, and his style of writing was recognized by the Pulitzer board when it awarded him the 2004 Prize for International Reporting.
