About Me

Nika Schoonover is a journalist currently based in New York City. As a reporter with a bachelor's in journalism and political science from DePaul University and a master's in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois Springfield, she is particularly interested in work that focuses on how political and legal systems influence public life. 
 

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Nika currently works as an editor for Thomson Reuters covering health law. She also freelances as a travel writer for TravelHost, specializing in stories about outdoor adventure and national park preservation, and covers local news and community stories for the BK Reader. 

Most recently, she reported on the Eastern District of New York for Courthouse News Service where she bopped around between the Long Island, Brooklyn and Manhattan federal courthouses. In that role, Nika tracked political and high-profile cases such as the trial that uncovered the details of the murder of Run-DMC deejay Jam Master Jay and the fraud case against expelled U.S. representative George Santos. 

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She previously covered the Illinois state legislature for Capitol News Illinois, and interned for NPR Illinois where she assisted with political coverage and radio fundraising events. She also completed an internship with Becker's Healthcare where she covered essential clinical, workforce and business news for industry executives. 

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As an undergraduate student at DePaul University, she worked for her college newspaper in various roles including as Politics Editor and Print Managing Editor. She also assisted with in-depth multimedia stories for WTTW Chicago Tonight as a production assistant with DePaul's Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence. 

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