Lucia Cheng
News FellowExpertise: Reporting, producing and photographing stories affecting the Des Moines metro area, all in order to help IPR listeners and readers better understand, appreciate and explore their state
Education: Bachelors degree from Grinnell College
Favorite Iowa Destination: Saints Rest Coffee and Jay's Deli in Grinnell
Experience:
- Has been a freelance reporter for the Pasadena Star News in California
- Served as a reporter as well as the features editor, and later the news editor, for Grinnell's The Scarlet & Black student newspaper
- Reported and edited stories on COVID-19 and its impact on xenophobia as well as Title IX issues in the Grinnell community
- Received multiple Iowa College Media Association awards as part of The Scarlet & Black
- Participated in the first cohort of NPR’s Next Generation Radio in Iowa, in 2023
- Served as an intern in 2022 for Smithsonian Magazine, covering a Civil Rights icon and Geraldine Mock, the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world alone
- Served as an audio fellow with the Asian American Journalists Association in 2022
My Favorite Stories
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DMARC food pantries in Des Moines face even more stress on their budget deficit after seeing a record high demand for food assistance this holiday season.
My Latest Stories
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Staff members at Lutheran Services in Iowa were concerned that refugees would become homeless after federal funding cuts. But community donations filled the gap. -
Kat Schmidt from Des Moines was named Grand Champion of the 2025 Fiddling Competition Sunday at the Iowa State Fair. -
The U.S. Department of Education revised a policy where adults without legal status cannot take part in programs supported by federal funding. Those programs now includes career and technical training or classes for a high school diploma. -
Dozens of protesters in Des Moines joined a nationwide day of "Good Trouble" rallies to stand against Trump administration policies they say "criminalize our communities, roll back our rights and slash vital public programs." -
The State Historical Society of Iowa is struggling to balance their budget. But the board of trustees say cuts are being made without public input.
