Jonathan Custodio is a fellow for POLITICO based in Washington, D.C. He was born and raised in the Bronx, NY, and enjoys playing chess and proudly indulging in his Dominican heritage with some pastelitos, bachata, and merengue.
Where is your work featured/what organizations are you affiliated with?
In addition to POLITICO, my reporting has been featured in POLITICO New York, Documented NY, Island and Spice, The Chronicle of Education, Norwood News, and the Pulitzer Center for Crisis in Reporting, with coverage that includes Afro Mexicans’ fight for recognition and New York City’s mayoral campaign. I am a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
Where did you go to school?
My first school was technically University at Buffalo. I was academically dismissed in 2013 and it took a few years to figure out what career I wanted to pursue. I caught the journalism bug after enrolling in CUNY LaGuardia Community College in 2016 and then, after graduating, transferred to CUNY Lehman College to finish out my bachelor’s degree.
How many years have you been in journalism/related field?
I have been in journalism for the last five years, with the last two spent as a working journalist.
What are you doing now? (i.e. any projects you’re working on; partnerships; advancements; or noteworthy stories)
I am just over the halfway mark as a fellow with POLITICO, where I get to rotate onto different politics and policy teams. Right now, I’m on the energy team working on stories tied to renewable energies, sustainability, and power grid.
What pushes you to keep doing the work?
I just really enjoy the diverse range of stories that comes from talking to lots of people. It’s also inspiring to see the great work from other journalists and lean on some of my peers for support.
You can find Jonathan on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JonnyCustodio
