Owen Laubscher

Although redlining has been illegal for decades, a racial disparity in homeownership remains. Even in communities where people of color comprise the majority, white homebuyers across the country get an outsized share of mortgages — and Columbus, Ohio is no different. I looked at 15 years of census data across the city and found the area reflects the state of home loans across the country, and how disparities in lending have locked many people of color out of homeownership for decades and exacerbated the racial wealth gap. Through data-based journalism and interviews with Black residents and experts on the housing market, I was able to investigate this disparity and shine a light on the failings of federal regulatory framework and its local impacts.

Just three years ago, the Church Street Park was considered an eyesore along a busy downtown Nashville corridor, and its future was questioned. But the need for a greenspace in such a dense neighborhood outweighed the concerns, and the park had new life breathed into it by the Nashville Downtown Partnership in 2021 — and has no plans of stopping anytime soon.

For Central Ohio native, Barry Rhonemus, the Lancaster Valley View Golf Club is more than just a place to get a round of golf in. It's where he spent countless hours with his parents, and where his father survived a cave in while building the clubhouse. Buying the club was a dream come true, he said. In one of my early pieces for Columbus Business First, I spoke to him and his wife about their long-term plan for the site and just how much owning the land means to them.

At the beginning of the fall 2020 semester, Ohio State announced that there would be serious consequences for students found to have violated COVID-19 guidelines. About a month after releasing the initial number of conduct cases (including some wrongful suspensions), I asked how the process was coming and didn't quite get a straight answer. I kept asking, and eventually submitted a formal public records request in early November. After months of following up and checking on the status of my records, I received them in early January and found despite the university's heavy early threats, few students were facing punishment for their rule violations.

Franklin County has been hit harder by the opioid epidemic than any other county in the state of Ohio. In the spring of 2020, I was interested in looking at how the opioid epidemic was impacting Ohio State and started developing relationships with student organizations advocating for harm reduction. After writing a few stories about this, an Ohio State alumna reached out to me asking to tell her story and her work. I took her story and used it to paint a larger picture of how Ohio State students and the Franklin County community can receive treatment and work to combat the epidemic and save lives. I believe journalism is at its best when it is serving the community, and to me, being able to tell stories like this gives me the opportunity to positively impact people's lives and serve the community I cover.

Following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis Police custody, thousands of people took to the streets to protest his death and others like it — and Columbus, Ohio was no exception to this. This video package contains about two days of footage, from a Friday night protest that saw me wade through shards of broken glass, watch demonstrators and police exchange hostilities and taste pepper-spray and tear gas for the first time in my life, to a Saturday protest that saw the National Guard called in as I was pepper-sprayed head-on at the front of a police line.

Staff Reporter

I covered commercial real estate in Franklin and surrounding counties, writing daily, feature, breaking news and long-form cover stories that looked at real estate trends and transactions, while also doing in-depth investigation when called for..

News Producer

I oversaw and managed all general news video and print journalists at Ohio State's student newspaper, The Lantern. I pursued long term projects and covered breaking news and daily stories. I assisted in creating content for social media, the web and editing and reporting print stories. I have experience covering several days of Black Lives Matter protests in downtown Columbus, Ohio, making difficult ethical decisions, covering the shooting death of an Ohio State student and more.

News, General Assignment Reporter

I wrote features and localized state and national news stories to the Ohio State community. I broke the initial story that Ohio State would be closing campus on March 9, 2020, before other larger outlets did.

Media and Public Relations National Broadcast Intern

I pitched to national networks, facilitated live national network interviews, produced videos for and contributed to the Ohio State News website and YouTube channel. I operated mutliple types of cameras, including a Sony FS-7.

Teaching Assistant for "Writing and Editing for Media"

I helped Dr. Nicole Kraft teach the introductory core journalism course. I built relationships with students and taught them writing, reporting, interviewing, AP Style and other facets of journalism.

Vanderbilt University

The Ohio State University

Magna Cum Laude

Minors in history & media production and analysis