Journalism Master’s Student from Ryerson, Adam Chen, shares how #MigrahackTO helped him learn a useful skill for his career and helped him get a head-start on data visualization. We Interviewed Adam after MigrahackTO, and here’s what he had to say.
What made you interested in Migrahack and what were you hoping to get out of it?
I was interested in Migrahack because I’m a journalist who is interested in learning the ways we use Data to create meaningful stories. Having migrated across globe for the past decade, I consider it important for us to tell the stories of migrants to Canada – as these are often the voices that won’t be heard. With Migrahack, I was hoping to strengthen my abilities in being able to go through datasets and turning them into compelling visualizations. I was also excited to have some meaningful connections with people who’re passionate about migration issues – there’s no better way to bond than working together on projects!
What was the most interesting thing you learned at the event/post event? What’s the most valuable tool you learned about?
The most important thing I learned for my journalism toolbox was how to make interesting visualizations with Tableau. The most interesting thing I learned at the event was about how crucial it is to have well-trained language interpreters for our increasingly diverse country.
How do you think these tools can help you in your everyday work as a journalist?
Well, I’m currently doing an investigation into ways that seniors that don’t speak English or French are potentially vulnerable, due to a lack in funding or access to services to language interpretation services. My understanding of Tableau has already helped me create visualizations for several of the stories I’m working on – and has given me the insight into the ladder I need to climb in order to take my visualizations to the next level!