We’re nearing the end of our investigative project on environmental issues in Ohio. From spending countless digging through the Environmental Protection Agency’s website to playing around and visualizing data using Tableau, I’ve learned quite a bit over the course of 16 weeks.

Going into EcoOhio, i wasn’t exactly sure what to expect to happen with this project.

I didn’t know what issues we would find. I didn’t know how hard it would be to talk to someone from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. I didn’t know how hard it would be to learn how to use Tableau.

There are a lot of cool things I got to do from taking this class.

It was really cool to attempt to create an original data set of how many public schools tested for lead in their drinking water. It was a great opportunity to collaborate with WKSU and help find really cool story ideas here in Ohio.

The course taught me how to work better with others. I’m a team player and usually can work well with others. There were times where it was a little bit tiresome, but that occasionally happens. The project taught me how to be a better professional media practitioner.

The course taught me to always value a great editor. My instructor was a true guiding force with this course and project. Whenever it seemed my part of my project was going nowhere, she would often have an idea or have a suggestion for a different approach.

Overall, the course taught me how to be a better journalist. Investigative reporting takes time whether it be for a couple months or even years. However, it’s rewarding to see your project flourish.

As we near the end, this course reassured my desire of wanting to be an investigative reporter. I’m hoping that in the near future, I can continue doing some sort of environmental reporting.