Three alumnae who are working journalists will discuss how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting their work during an online panel on April 28 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. sponsored by the Alumni Relations and Development office. “Covering the News in the Age of COVID-19”  will be moderated by Monica Davey, Chicago bureau chief for The New York Times, and features Maria Hinojosa, anchor of “Latino USA” and Kate Grossman, senior education editor for WBEZ, Chicago Public Media.

“Now, during the pandemic, where opportunities to engage and connect alums are more limited, we’re looking for new creative ways to bring alums together,” Micheal Zarobe, director of alumni relations, said. “We thought that doing a virtual panel discussion would be a great way to connect with alums, and at the same time, have a really informative discussion on a current topical issue.”

Ms. Hinojosa, who graduated from U-High in 1979, has dedicated her career to covering the stories of America’s Latino community. Along with being the anchor and executive producer of NPR’s “Latino USA,” she is the host of the PBS talk show “Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One,” and the founder, CEO and president of Futuro Media Group, an independent, multi-platform journalism organization dedicated to bringing underrepresented stories to light. 

Ms. Davey, who graduated from U-High in 1982, leads The New York Times coverage for the Midwest as the Chicago bureau chief. Previously, she wrote for the Chicago Tribune, the St. Petersburg Times, the Roanoke Times and World-News and worked at City News Bureau of Chicago.

Ms. Grossman, who graduated from U-High in 1988, heads the education team and is a senior editor at WBEZ. Before working at WBEZ, she was deputy editorial page editor at the Chicago Sun-Times, and previously reported for the Associated Press and the Providence Journal. 

The three alumnae offer a range of perspectives on the topic, according to Mr. Zarobe. Ms. Grossman provides a local perspective of COVID-19 news coverage, Ms. Hinojosa reports on a national scale, while Ms. Davey’s work reaches a wide audience. 

The panel will be the first in a series of virtual alumni panels, which Mr. Zarobe hopes will continue to engage alumni after school resumes in person.

“We’re hoping to do one in May, which will be around alumni in the arts, and then we’re hoping to do one in June, around alumni authors,” said Mr. Zarobe. And then if all goes well, even once we come back to school, we’re hoping to keep this going and maybe doing one on a monthly basis.”

Alumni, students, faculty and parents alike are encouraged to register for the webinar, which will be run through Zoom.