Mohamad Bazzi left his native Lebanon for the United States in 1985, when he was 10 years old. He began his journalism career in middle school writing for community newspapers in Queens. As a high school student he wrote more than 30 stories for
New Youth Connections (now
YCteen), New York's citywide magazine by and for teens published by
Youth Communication. He became a
United States citizen in 1994. He graduated
magna cum laude in 1997 from
Hunter College in New York City. Bazzi was born in
Beirut, and
his family is from the southern Lebanon town of
Bint Jbeil. He came to the U.S. with an older brother; another brother is in France, yet another is in Spain, and their parents and a sister remain in Lebanon. English is Bazzi's third language; he learned both Arabic and French as a child in Lebanon, and English after he came to the United States. Bazzi became a staff writer for
Newsday in 1998. the 2016 first place award in online columns from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists; the 2008 Arthur Ross Award for distinguished reporting and analysis on foreign affairs; the 2008 American Academy of Religion Award for in-depth reporting on religion; the 2005 Elizabeth Neuffer Memorial Prize; the 2004 News Analysis Award from the
Society of the Silurians; the 2004 James Aronson Award for social justice journalism; the 2003 Silver Medal from the United Nations Correspondents Association; and the 2002 Daniel Pearl Award for outstanding print reporting on South Asia. ==Awards==