MEET THE MEDIA
Jill Szwed
Rainy days didn’t leave LEX18 weekend meteorologist Jill Szwed at a loss as to what to do when she was growing up. When she couldn’t go outside to play she made herself at home in front of the TV watching The Weather Channel. Szwed meticulously wrote down the hourly observations. “My mom probably thought ‘Oh my gosh I have a mad scientist on my hands.’ That was just the beginning of my love of the weather,” Szwed said.
Szwed pursued her interest in weather by incorporating it into class projects and science competitions. “When I talk to people they are shocked at the age when I decided on my career path,” she said.
Szwed is a Pittsburgh native and the eldest of two daughters. “Growing up in western Pennsylvania we had all four seasons so I got to experience a full range of weather. That’s where my interest started,” she said. “I think I was 12 when I decided I wanted to be a meteorologist.” Studying weather in science class hooked her. “I instantly fell in love,” Szwed said.
During college Szwed had the unique opportunity to take broadcast meteorology courses taught by one of the meteorologists from St. Louis’ NBC affiliate. She also interned with two of her “weather idols” during her summers back in Pittsburgh. It was an opportunity to have a professional mentor while getting expertise working in front of a green screen.
It was a path she pursued in college. Szwed studied meteorology with an emphasis on broadcasting at Saint Louis University in Missouri. She picked up a minor in communication while taking a lot of journalism classes to supplement her degree and knowledge.
by Michelle Rauch | photos courtesy of Jill Szwed 124
DECEMBER 2016 | TOPSINLEX.COM