Andrea Honor

Growing up in Holland, MI along the western shore of Lake Michigan, I developed a fascination for Meteorology at a young age while watching strong thunderstorms pass over the lake. This fascination and dream to be a meteorologist then brought me to Mount Pleasant, MI where I attended Central Michigan University and graduated in the Spring of 2016 with a B.S. in Meteorology. Before finishing my degree however, I had the opportunity to spend a summer doing a Student Volunteer Internship program with the Grand Rapids National Weather Service office in the summer of 2015. During my time there, I had the privilege of practicing my operational forecasting skills, but more importantly I was able to talk with professionals about the vital importance of communication in meteorology. This internship was a major turning point for me in that it fueled my drive to be a better meteorologist through communication, because after all, what good is a forecast if you cannot communicate it effectively? Now as a graduate student with UW-Milwaukee studying to get my master's degree in Atmospheric Science while also working at Innovative Weather, I get the opportunity to practice these communication skills through risk assessment forecasts for our partners, as well as on the radio with WUWM! Not only does Innovative Weather provide first hand operational forecasting experience for students, but we as undergraduate and graduate students get the opportunity to 'fail foreword' as we hone in on our skills while also gaining communication and leadership experience in a professional environment, and for that I am very grateful to have chosen UWM. In the meantime, when I'm not busy doing homework, research, or forecasting at IW, I enjoy spending time outdoors camping, playing tennis, and going to the beach and boating in the summertime, all of which Milwaukee offers