Jinah Kim first got into journalism in high school, where she was the editor of her school newspaper. She followed that dream when she entered UCLA, where she continued to pursue her love of writing and seeking out the truth.
Now the UCLA alumna and NBC news correspondent continues to fuel her love of journalism.
Kim received the Voice of Courage Award from The ALS Association on Saturday.
The award is given to those who significantly contribute to expanding the public’s awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, said Jeff Snyder, the vice president of communications for The ALS Association.
“Jinah Kim received the award for the comprehensive nature of the stories that she has done about ALS for over the years,” he said.
Snyder said it is essential for the public to know about the disease and to increase funding for research. He added that only through research can this disease be figured out and a cure can be found.
“It is one of the most devastating diseases known to man,” Snyder said.
ALS causes all of the muscles in the human body to start wasting away for no reason, said Kim, whose father had ALS.
The disease begins attacking the muscles in the arms and legs and eventually reaches the heart and lungs.
No one knows the cause or the cure, she said.
Kim said she felt very honored to receive the award and owed a lot of it to NBC and KNBC.
“They saw the passion in my eyes and encouraged me to do the stories,” she said.
At UCLA, Kim worked for the Daily Bruin and graduated with a degree in English literature in 1994.
In 1991, the Gulf War had begun and Kim’s assignment was to find out how students felt about the war. Everyone felt helpless, but Kim said she felt that as a journalist, she was able to do something about it.
“It was an extremely gratifying experience,” she said.
While at UCLA, she interned at CBS News in New York during the summer between her first and second years.
She said her experience in New York led her to choose journalism as her profession.
During her third year, she interned at KTLA, where she worked as an assignment desk assistant and eventually became a writer.
After graduating from UCLA, Kim worked for Fox News and KSWB 5 News in California, along with KUSA 9 News in Denver.
She then came back to Los Angeles, she said, where she is now a correspondent for NBC News on the West Coast.
Kim joined The ALS Association in May 2001 after her father was struck with the disease.
Soon after, she became active with The ALS Association Greater San Diego Chapter while living in San Diego.
She went to Denver in 2003 where she became a board member for the association’s Denver chapter. While she was there, her father died from the disease.
“Jinah is smart, dedicated, passionate about her work ““ someone who is determined to get the job done,” said Nadia Gedeon, the nighttime assignment editor who worked with Kim at KUSA 9 News in Denver.
Gedeon said Kim never had a problem getting a story done and always had new ideas for stories.
Ever since she joined the association, Kim said she has been interested in writing stories about the disease.
“I was always extremely curious, and I had this fire within me whenever I saw something wrong. … I felt that I had to do something that let me seek out causes and just let people know about the important events that shape our community, state and world,” Kim said.