“It's time to speak up before another 17,000 people are dead. You know this is wrong. You don't have to be a part of this. Be a hero. Speak out before it's too late” read the text message that was sent to 1,750 state workers through the state’s emergency management system last month.

The most successful data analysts are able to take key data and weave it into a story to convey their point to stakeholders. This is often called a “data story” and is used by analysts who are presenting to an audience who may not understand the intricacies of data. They do this by presenting their findings visually – which is easier for most people to comprehend.  Often time this is through graphs, charts, or other visualization tools like infographics. But is a data story really that important in the world of statistics?

In last week’s article we discussed five diverse characters in television and film that didn’t necessarily fit Hollywood’s stereotype of what a data scientist looks and acts like. While many hacker and data analyst roles are portrayed by white actors and actresses who are nerdy and/or computer geniuses that’s not the case in everyday society. The data industry is made up of men and women of all different races, ethnicities, and sexualities, so today we are continuing to celebrate characters that don’t fit Hollywood’s typical mold.

Data scientists and programmers come in all different shapes, sizes, races, and genders. But if that’s true, why hasn’t Hollywood caught on yet? I don’t know about you but I’m sick of seeing programmers depicted as the twenty-something shy, nerdy guy whose a recluse or the quirky chick who can only be described as eccentric.