About me

Ella Lee is a Politics NOW Reporter at USA TODAY. She graduated from DePaul University magna cum laude in June 2021, obtaining a B.A. in Journalism with a minor in American politics. She was formerly the Print Managing Editor of The DePaulia, DePaul University’s independent student newspaper, and has previously interned for USA TODAY’s Washington Bureau and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Her work has been published in USA TODAY, numerous Gannett properties, the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Suburban Life, The DePaulia, The Highland Park Landmark, Lake Forest Leader, Northwest Herald, gb&d magazine, Sixtysix magazine and The Daily Iowan. In addition to writing and reporting, she has ample experience in FOIA-filing, scouring local and federal court systems, in-depth research, page design, SEO, data analysis/visualization and social media promotion, among other things. In the future, she hopes to utilize her sharp attention to detail and natural nose for news as an investigative reporter.

You can view my resume in the next tab over.

Here are some fun facts about me that were too fun to make it onto my resume:

• I play the violin and began at three years old. I attribute my precision-driven work to the many years I’ve spent practicing it. Mahler 5 is my favorite piece of music, and Hilary Hahn once told me I have a sparkly personality.

• My favorite drink is iced tea—but not Midwestern iced tea. The proper way to make iced tea, as is done in the South, is to fill the cup with ice to the very brim, and then let the tea fill in the empty space. The ice comes first in the name for a reason.