Jesslyn Ferentz (BS Applied Atmospheric Science 2017)
Current Position & Responsibilities
Weekend Morning Meteorologist ABC7 SWFL (WZVN-TV)
“I am currently the weekend morning meteorologist at ABC7 in beautiful Fort Myers, Florida! Every day I forecast for 5 counties in southwest Florida and get to be creative about how I share that information with our viewers on air and through social media platforms. While I’m not on air, I’m putting together weather-related stories for our show. I also occasionally go out into the community and meet viewers and talk to kids about weather and what it’s like to be an on-air personality. During severe weather, I will get on air as fast as I can to make sure anyone in a storm’s path is safe. I also get to do live weather reporting out in tropical storms and hurricanes! SUPER COOL!”
What are the most rewarding and/or most challenging aspects of your work?
“I get to nerd out every day! Being a broadcast meteorologist, it’s a new adventure every day. It never gets boring. I have an outgoing personality and love weather so I combine the two to give a fun forecast to viewers. It’s also an amazing feeling to be a role model. I’ve had many young women come up to me saying “I want to be just like you.” Motivating the next generation of strong women in STEM careers makes my heart happy. What’s challenging about this job is you’re always going to have people who have strong opinions, mainly viewers. You have to rise above the hate. Also, some may think the pay is great but the truth is you get paid very little when you first start out. However, we do this career because it’s not about the money, it’s our love for science!”
How would you say your undergraduate and graduate degrees in Geography prepared you for this work?
“I’ve taken aspects from every class I took at ECU into this career. Soak it all in. Knowing how to interpret what you’re seeing on the radar during severe weather, using instruments out in the middle of a hurricane, to micrometeorology talking about smoke from a wildfire. The list goes on. In this specific branch of meteorology, you won’t have to look at a math equation or derive anything again. It’s more conceptual but you for sure have to have the base understanding of laws and equations. You will use every forecasting tool you learn. Get comfortable with different weather maps, models and data. Don’t get rid of your notebooks either! After 2 years of on air experience, you can apply to become a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, then take a 100 question test to prove you know your stuff!”
What else do students need to learn (beyond the degree) and who should they be talking to in preparation for entering the job market?
“PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Take an internship or multiple. I took two and practiced as much as I could to get comfortable in front of the camera. You will learn everything you need to know in an internship. Get very comfortable with social media. This industry is very digital forward now and you have to have a strong presence on the internet. It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to try and take some communication courses. I myself didn’t, but I wish I had! Learn how to shoot and edit video also. You will most likely have to do a bit of reporting in smaller “starter markets” or even create weather-related content. Start dialog with other meteorologists on FB groups. There’s tons of them! It’s all about who you know in this field.”
What was your favorite or most memorable experience?
“I had the greatest support group around me. The professors want you to excel and thrive and will take time out of their schedule to make sure you do so. Not to mention the wonderful people I met in my classes. I am still in contact with many of my classmates and we still motivate each other from all parts of the country and even the world! The coolest thing I got to do for research was launch a weather balloon in the Outer Banks during the solar eclipse! in 2017. We got to plot our findings and see how it affected the sea breeze. I will always remember that!”