SHREVEPORT
RUSTON
How old were you when you thought about becoming a meteorologist or took notice of the weather? MONROE
I was giving my parents weather forecast presentations when I was seven years old. Although I do not remember the exact moment that I became interested in weather, I had strong interests in it from a very early age.
ALEXANDRIA
Where did you grow up and with what weather conditions?
BATON ROUGE LAKE CHARLES
LAFAYETTE
NEW ORLEANS
I spent a significant part of my childhood in Virginia. I experienced several significant weather events as I was growing up in Virginia that influenced my interest in weather. I experienced a heavy snowfall event that caused several feet of snow, a tornado passed near my house which caused damage to a neighbor’s roof and a tree to fall in my driveway, and I also remember Hurricane Isabel (2003) which impacted my area as a tropical storm.
Point out major hurdles that you faced pursuing your education, career goals, accomplishments and how did you overcome them?
Q&A: Alex Donato, NOAA Meteorologist By Alex Donato
The coursework during my undergraduate studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University was a major hurdle to overcome. Some of the material was challenging and grades are very important. The support from my professors and colleagues was a huge part of my success. Having a positive learning environment was crucial, and Embry-Riddle absolutely provided that. I was often sitting next to pilots and engineers in my classes and I was able to share in their passion for flight and aerospace while I pursued my passion for meteorology. It was an incredible feeling to walk around campus and see Cessna airplanes flying nearby (which were piloted by some of my colleagues). They were learning about aspects of flight while I was learning how the weather could impact their flight. After graduating with my B.S. in Meteorology in 2018, it was the experience that I had at Embry-Riddle that gave me the motivation to continue my education and obtain an M.S. in Meteorology from Florida State University in 2020. I have already used a significant amount of what I learned over the years while working at NOAA’s National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, Louisiana. This was especially so during the 2021 hurricane season dealing with several tropical systems, including Hurricane Ida.
Who were your inspirational or helpful people/professors? Why? Dr. Thomas Guinn and Dr. Randell Barry were among the most helpful and inspirational people for me. They were my academic and research advisors respectively at Embry-Riddle. I always considered their work ethic and professionalism as a gold standard that I try to adhere to.
18