If you ask almost anyone involved in atmospheric science, they’ll tell you that they were a born weather geek, and that is why when we meet a young person who lives and breathes weather, we do all we can to encourage them. The advice is always the same, take all the math and science you can in high school, to prepare for some tough college courses, and in the end it will be worth it, because you will go to work each day doing something you love. It may be research at a university, or it could be forecasting for the NWS, or perhaps standing in front of a TV camera during hurricanes and tornadoes, but whatever it is, you’ll get paid to do what for many folks is a hobby.

I wrote about Matthew Cappucci two years ago here, and how this Mass. high school student was encouraged by two great meteorologists, Mike Mogil and Harvey Leonard (who our community holds in VERY high regard), Matt grew up watching Harvey on TV in Boston, and Mike introduced Matthew to some real science at one of his excellent weather camps. Matt presented a talk last year which got him a standing ovation, and he will do two presentations tomorrow.

Now that he has finished high school, guess where Matthew is going to college??

Can you say Harvard and MIT.

Can you say that there are 200 meteorologists here who are very proud to know him?

Yes indeed!

There is another future atmospheric scientist you should meet, and that is Michelle Saunders (who walked up and surprised me today). She was our intern at WBOC-TV in Salisbury,Md. three years ago (while finishing her degree at Salisbury University). She has finished her Masters and is headed to the Ph.D. program at the Univ. of Miami!  So, on behalf of my fellow WBOC meteorologists Brian Keene and Mike Lichniak, way to go Michelle!!

(I had to get a pic with her as well!)