» Kori Suzuki

Kori Suzuki

Kori Suzuki, an undergraduate student from Macalester College, won Sony’s Photojournalism Scholarship.

Accomplishments

I’m a dedicated multimedia journalist with a strong focus on audio production and photojournalism. Though most of my professional experience is with radio-centric positions focused on writing, researching and editing, I have always pushed to integrate photography into my assignments and maximize my value as a multimedia reporter. No matter what I’m covering—California state conservation law, climate change and marine disease outbreaks, protests against structural racism across Minneapolis—my camera is always with me.

My work as a photojournalist has been published in KALW News, Living on Earth, the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and The Mac Weekly, my student newspaper. While I have little professional training, I have worked hard to strengthen my photojournalist’s instincts and visual literacy through experience, and my work has been recognized for it. In 2019, Imagining America named me one of nine JGS Fellows for photography and digital media, and this spring, my portraits and photo coverage of the youth climate strikes were honored by the Associated College Press and Visual Minnesota.

Career Goals

My long-term career goal is to join a team covering science, equity and the environment for a regional public radio station. I strongly believe that multimedia storytelling with an emphasis on photojournalism and audio production is the best way to convey essential infromation about climate change and environmental justice, and I have worked hard to cultivate a diverse multimedia skill set in the hopes of becoming a more valuable asset to my newsroom. As a fourth-generation Japanese American journalist, I also hope to help do the essential work of diversifying our industry and supporting journalists and communities of color. Ultimately, I seek to serve the communities where I live while telling stories with deep relevance to a broad audience.

Portfolio

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Kori Suzuki

Suzuki - Back To School

As Macalester College restarted classes this fall, the school’s coronavirus safety measures meant students arrived to a very different environment. Campus administrators had redesigned activities and facilities to prevent transmission of COVID-19, and only first years were allowed to move into on-campus housing.

Suzuki - Election Day Aftermath

The days after Election Day and leading up to Joe Biden’s victory on November 7 were marked by anxiety and confusion. In Minneapolis, hundreds were arrested while demanding that all votes be counted. When Biden’s victory was finally declared, the announcement was met with celebrations and protests.

Suzuki - Nicollet Mall

On August 26, three months—to the day—after the first protest for George Floyd, hundreds of protestors and bystanders gathered at Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis after word spread on social media that police officers had shot and killed a Black man. Black Lives Matter organizers tried to calm the crowd and spread video that showed the man shooting himself. As tensions rose, protestors began breaking into shops and police deployed pepper spray and other less-lethal weapons on the crowd. Late in the evening, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey ordered a citywide curfew and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz deployed the National Guard.

Suzuki - Say Their Names

George Floyd's killing at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer shocked millions of people around the world and ignited an ongoing national reckoning with systemic racism, police violence and white supremacy. But Floyd’s name is one entry in a long list of Black, Brown and Indigenous victims of police brutality. In Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the families of many of those victims have been at the forefront of the movement for justice for Floyd and structural changes to policing in Minnesota. As protests continue across the Twin Cities, those other names echo through the streets alongside that of George Floyd.

Suzuki - Singles

A collection of unrelated photographs.

Audio Podcasts

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What We Talk About When We Talk About the Environment

A lot of people think about climate change as a universal issue. But it’s also a civil rights issue—and that’s something the mainstream environmental movement is starting to recognize. I produced this podcast episode for The Mac Weekly, my student newspaper.

Project role: Reporter, Producer & Editor

Voices from George Floyd’s Funeral

They’re not household names. But for protestors from Minneapolis and Saint Paul, their calls for justice are a familiar sound. I produced this podcast episode for The Mac Weekly, my student newspaper.

Project role: Reporter, Producer & Editor

A Gap in America’s Childcare System

Across the country, healthcare workers are putting their lives on the line going to work each day. But a lot of healthcare workers are also parents. And with schools closed, many of them don’t have anyone to take care of their kids. I produced this podcast episode for The Mac Weekly, my student newspaper.

Project role: Reporter, Producer & Editor