Pulitzer Mania for a Pinoy

Jose was born in the Philippines in February 1981. He grew up in Zambales and Pasig

“No one really wins anything alone.”

Such is Filipino American Jose Antonio Vargas’ humble assessment for a momentous achievement like winning in the 2008 Annual Pulitzer Prize.

At 27, Vargas became the youngest and only the 5th Filipino to win a Pulitzer. The highly revered award-giving body honored Vargas together with other writers of The Washington Post for their exceptional, multi-faceted coverage of the deadly shooting rampage at Virginia Tech.

He has since been deluged with interviews about what he calls the Pulitzer mania. “But, to be frank, what’s more important than the Pulitzer is the chance to say thanks to relatives and friends who’ve been incredibly supportive,” he told the Asian Journal.

A journalist for the past 10 years since he was a junior in high school, Jose was born in the Philippines in February 1981. He grew up in Zambales and Pasig, and attended elementary in Pasig Catholic College. Jose’s mother, Emily, was a single mom who raised him with the help of his maternal grandparents. By Cynthia De Castro - Asianjournal.com

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Jose Antonio Vargas is a reporter for the Washington Post, where he covers the convergence of politics and the Internet. Previously, he wrote about video game culture and HIV/AIDS in Washington, and won a Pulitzer Prize as part of a team that covered the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech. He's also written for the Philadelphia Daily News, the San Francisco Chronicle and New York magazine, and has appeared on CNN, MSNBC and C-SPAN's Washington Journal.

A proud alumni of Mountain View High School ('00) and San Francisco State University ('04), he loves jazz, can't get enough of Ben & Jerry's and worships at the altars of Altman, Almodovar, Didion, Baldwin and Orwell.

He lives in Washington, D.C. and can be found on Facebook and YouTube.