New York Times Correspondent Jennifer Medina to Present Culver Lecture

Jennifer Medina, national political correspondent for The New York Times, will deliver the 14th Annual Culver Lecture at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Hubbell Hall at Kent Campus Center on the Simpson College campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Medina’s lecture will focus on Latino voting patterns and political engagement in the United States, a topic she has reported on for nearly two decades. Her work has been recognized with a Robin Toner Prize for political reporting and the California Chicano News Media Association Journalist of the Year award. Medina is also a New America fellow and is currently working on a book exploring Latinos and politics in the United States.

“Jenny Medina’s extensive reporting on Latinos in U.S. politics shines a light on the rapidly shifting dynamics of a key demographic,” said Seth Andersen, director of the John C. Culver Public Policy Center at Simpson College. “Her forthcoming book examines modern Latino politics in the context of local history, cultural identity and migration patterns that have shaped a population that has nearly tripled over the past three decades to become one of the most important segments of the electorate.”

A Southern California native, Medina previously reported on the region for The New York Times’ national desk, focusing on immigration, education and poverty. She covered the impact of public policy on everyday lives, reporting on Disneyland employees living in their cars, immigration raids and California’s chronic public education challenges. She has covered breaking news, including multiple mass shootings, often highlighting human stories amid tragedy.

Since joining The New York Times in 2002, Medina has also covered politics in New York and Connecticut and spent several years writing about New York City.

A virtual option will be available through Zoom Webinars for those unable to attend in person. Register for the virtual lecture. No registration is required for the in-person lecture.