This column originally appeared in Navigator, GroundTruth’s newsletter for early-career journalists.

Last week, Report for America celebrated its first graduating class of corps members. These eight reporters arrived to their beats with different levels of experience, but left adept at covering the issues of their communities, having forged bonds that allowed them to write stories with great impact. Some of them are staying with their news organizations as full time staff and others are moving on to new positions, but the lessons learned during their time as corps members will continue to guide them throughout their careers. 

During their time of service, our graduates covered stories crucial to their communities, from how Dallas’ black and Hispanic populations grappled with food swamps, and the impact of coronavirus on Chicago’s South and West sides’ Latino community, to photographing the rebuilding of South Mississippi after tornadoes hit and the tribal youth of San Manuel raising awareness about missing or murdered indigenous women.  

For this Navigator, we spoke with a few of the 2020 graduates, who reflected on the challenges they overcame while serving their communities and offered advice to early career journalists. 

Each response was received by email and have been edited for length and clarity. 

What do you wish you had known on your first day on the job? 

“I would remind myself that change is difficult for everyone. It doesn’t matter who you are —moving somewhere new, where you don’t know anyone, is tough. As is starting a new beat. I’d be gentler with myself.” 
-Risa Johnson, The Desert Sun 

“I wish I’d known how to file Freedom of Information Act requests with agencies in Chicago, Cook County and Illinois.”
-Carlos Ballesteros, Chicago Sun-Times

“On day one, I wish I would have known that I would be falling in love with my home state all over again. Documenting the place where I grew up has given me a new perspective. Mississippi has serious issues that require immediate attention, but it is also a beautiful place filled with amazing people.”  
-Eric Shelton, Mississippi Today

Related: In an On the Ground Retrospective, we highlighted the graduates’ On the Ground dispatches – essays that are a testament to their commitment to the RFA mission beyond their everyday reporting. 

What was your biggest challenge during your time as a corps member and how did you overcome it?

“Creating a strategy to cover issues across the state of Mississippi. I overcame this challenge by realizing that it was impossible to tackle all of the issues in the state within only two years. I focused my energy on working on the stories that I found interesting, and also I connected with Mississippians to identify what was important to them.”
-Eric Shelton, Mississippi Today

“Successfully covering all aspects of my ‘beat.’ At the Sun-Times, both Manny Ramos and I were expected to ‘cover the South and West sides’ as we and our editors saw fit. Having so much leeway proved beneficial in many ways; I covered a wide-range of topics that often overlapped with one another. But not having a specific, traditional beat often made it tough to decide which stories to pursue. 

My editors at the Sun-Times are also often overworked, and storyboarding ideas for our coverage was often out of the question simply because of a lack of personnel on the desk. Luckily together we figured out a rhythm that allowed us to work within our constraints and make the most of it.” 
-Carlos Ballesteros, Chicago Sun-Times

“The biggest challenge with my beat, covering Native American communities in Southern California, was access. A piece of advice I was given early on which I found really helpful was to find community ‘guides’ — people who are integrated in the community and well-connected, who can advocate for you as a trustworthy person and writer. That was invaluable for me.” 
-Risa Johnson, The Desert Sun

“Learning to be flexible with my coverage. For the first few months I really wanted to stay 100% focused on my beat, but that translated to covering potentially 40% of the Dallas population. I learned to carve out slices of potential coverage and just run with that. I also accepted needing to give myself some leeway on coverage.”
-Obed Manuel, The Dallas Morning News 

What advice would you like to give to local reporters that are starting their careers? 

“I think the best local reporters truly care about and are part of the communities they report on and it shows in their work. They don’t only see the job as a step on a ladder to something bigger and better. I think it’s important to reflect on why you want to be a local reporter and once you figure it out, hold on to that, because it can be a difficult and thankless job. But there’s nothing like feeling like you have the pulse of your community.”
-Risa Johnson, The Desert Sun

“Don’t be afraid to get stuck in the mud. Challenge yourself by putting yourself in uncomfortable situations. Take the criticism from locals, especially if your newsroom has a history of not adequately representing certain communities.”
-Obed Manuel, The Dallas Morning News 

“My advice is to make sure that you are passionate about your work. There will always be obstacles in the journalism world, but always remember why you wanted to do this work in the first place.”
-Eric Shelton, Mississippi Today

“Keep at it, know your worth, and always tell the truth.”
-Carlos Ballesteros, Chicago Sun-Times

What journalism – stories or journalists – have impacted you?

“Black reporters and other journalists of color in Chicago have been exposing how the coronavirus pandemic is exposing the fissures that in many ways define our segregated city. Thankfully there are too many to list out. All of them are very easy to find, if what you’re looking for is deep, well-sourced and data-driven stories that pull no punches and hold a mirror to our beloved but troubled metropolis off the shores of Lake Michigan.”
-Carlos Ballesteros, Chicago Sun-Times

“I got my start at the Chico Enterprise-Record, a small newspaper based in Chico, in Northern California, where I worked as a city reporter for about three years. […]

“While we covered the devastating Camp Fire in Paradise, California in November 2018, the staff went above and beyond to keep the community informed. It was a really challenging time, but an inspiring work environment. Everyone was at their ‘A’ game. I also was inspired by reporters from our sister papers, including the East Bay Times, who came in to assist for a few weeks on that huge story.”
-Risa Johnson, The Desert Sun 

“I photographed a funeral service for Shalondra Rollins. She was the first person to die from COVID-19 in Hinds County, where the capitol of Mississippi is located. Shalondra was a mother of two and an elementary school teacher. 

“This was the hardest assignment of my career as a photojournalist. This was extremely hard to witness. But, it was important for me to show how this pandemic is affecting lives. Stories like this make me aware of how important photojournalism is.”
-Eric Shelton, Mississippi Today