Naperville might be familiar with some of Alison Sherwood’s work. During a summer job in 2005, she doodled clever slogans on outdoor whiteboards during her time at Einstein’s Bagel’s in the city’s downtown.

But last week, the nation got a glimpse of one of Sherwood’s more recent projects — one that earned the Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting.

Sherwood is one of several Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staffers honored with the coveted journalism award last week. And for the Multimedia Producer with roots in the Naperville area, the whole thing was a shock.

“Last week, the Pulitzers were the last thing on my mind, and I was completely surprised when they announced it,” she said. “I knew that it had been entered,” she said. “I had no idea my name had been entered with it.”

She helped produce interactive graphics and video for the winning piece that helped bring the story of a 4-year-old Wisconsin boy’s battle with a baffling disease to life through video and interactive graphics online. She was one of five people named on the award.  Because of the highly scientific nature of the story, Sherwood helped create a glossary of medical terminology, as well as interactive graphics readers could use to dive deeper.

“Some of the science was described in the story, and some of it was described just in graphics,” she said.

A graduate of the University of Missouri’s journalism program, Sherwood lived in Naperville and attended Benet Academy in Lisle, where she received her first assignment for the school’s newspaper.

“When I started working for the school paper, I didn’t know anything about real journalism,” she said. But Sherwood went on write a student columns and intern at local newspapers, and later chose to focus her college career on digital reporting at Missouri.

Sherwood recalls her time in Naperville, where her parents still live. She worked at Einstein’s Bagels in 2005, where her bosses noticed her knack for drawing up clever slogans on the businesses whiteboard outside.

“That was fun,” she said. “You have the regulars that come in everyday and its a good way to see the vibe of the city.”

She recalls walking along the Riverwalk and playing in the city’s parks growing up, and still tells people about one of her favorite places to eat.

“I always tell people about Cookie Dough Creations,” she said.

Sherwood is now helping the Journal Sentinel launch a new entertainment Web site as an Interactive Entertainment Producer, and also writes a blog for the paper — The Post-College Kitchen.

“I started documenting my adventures in learning how to cook,” she said of the blog, which she started soon after joining the paper right out of college.

Sherwood’s Pulitzer winning work can be found here, and her blog can be found here.