Zareen Syed

Zareen Syed is an education reporter for the Chicago Tribune, covering issues that touch K-12 schools and colleges and universities. She also writes about campus activism and various student-led movements as well as narratives focusing on underrepresented groups. She joined the Tribune as a suburban reporter and has previously worked for NBC Sports, WGN-TV and Boston 25 News.

Musically Fed volunteers Kat Nutter, from left, Lauren Nutter, Hunter Adams and John Hozack bring uneaten food, originally provided to workers and musicians at Lollapalooza, to Deborah’s Place, a supportive housing facility near Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood on July 31, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Got 30 pounds of unused fresh spinach? Musically Fed nonprofit works with Lollapalooza to reduce food waste

August 4, 2025 at 2:28 p.m.

During Lollapalooza, Musically Fed was onsite to collect, organize and distribute unused food to organizations supporting unhoused individuals, veterans, women in crisis and low-income families.

The Dark Chocolate Citrus Sundae at Monteverde Restaurant and Pastificio on July 8, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago foodie travel: The history (and mystery) of ice cream sundaes

July 29, 2025 at 6:40 a.m.

The sundae has evolved far beyond old-fashioned chocolate and cherry to more modern creations.

The elusive and high-end Japanese Koyo berries at Whole Foods Market in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood on Oct. 11, 2024. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Are Oishii strawberries worth it?

October 18, 2024 at 1:19 p.m.

Hiroki Koga, co-founder and CEO of New Jersey-based Oishii, is hoping his vertical farming company will show American consumers what a truly great strawberry tastes like.

Laila Fierce, 15, in Chicago on Aug. 21, 2024. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Young Black and Indian women share an identity with Kamala Harris — some are beaming, while others sit at a crossroads with her stance on Gaza

August 23, 2024 at 10:54 a.m.

Before her speech at the Democratic National Convention, Black and Indian-American women are excited and cautious about Vice-President Kamala Harris' run for the White House.

Ashton Spatz, center, a financial aid adviser with the University of Illinois at Chicago, assists Jessena Sanchez, left, and her daughter, Leslie Delve, a sophomore at UIC, during a FAFSA workshop on Feb. 23, 2024, at the Student Financial Aid Office. (Vincent Alban/Chicago Tribune)

The new FAFSA: Here’s what you need to know before applying for federal student aid for the 2024-25 academic year

February 26, 2024 at 11:32 a.m.

The FAFSA, which typically opens in October, didn’t become available until Dec. 31, after the government revised the form and changed the formula for student aid in an attempt to...

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