On Monday, March 16, I had the chance to meet with the University of Florida's advanced environmental journalism class, a course I took during my time at UF that shaped how I see myself as a reporter.

The class gave me the push to focus on science and environmental reporting, and much of that inspiration came from my professor and one of my mentors, Cynthia Barnett, whose work has appeared in many publications, including National Geographic.

I met the students for lunch in Pensacola between their travels from Gainesville to New Orleans on their spring break field trip. The class spends the semester on a long-form project — my cohort went to Costa Rica to explore ecotourism, while this year's students are researching the effects of agricultural pesticides and their links to diseases like Parkinson's.

During lunch, I shared my experiences working at Gulf Coast Media through Report for America, including the challenges, rewards and opportunities I have experienced as a young reporter. A few students are applying to the program themselves, so it was rewarding to give them insight into what to expect.

It was so meaningful for me to connect with these students because I was in their shoes just last year. I loved being able to show them that this path is possible, that opportunities like Report for America are out there and to encourage them to keep writing about the stories that matter.

Gabriella Chavez is a Report for America corps member who writes about growth and development in Baldwin County and our natural spaces for Gulf Coast Media. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://tinyurl.com/yaf8yf5n.