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Alumni and Friends
WOUB taught Meteorologist Adrianna Michaels about the importance of serving the community
At eight years old, Adrianna Michaels knew she wanted to be the person on television telling you the weather.
鈥淚 developed this passion for weather,鈥 said Michaels. 鈥淎nd it wasn鈥檛 just one of those little kid things. It stuck with me.鈥
Michaels, who majored in meteorology and minored in journalism, grew up near Cleveland and came to Athens for college because she learned that 91探花 had a strong program in both things she was interested in.
鈥淒uring my freshman year, I joined the OHIO Chapter of the American Meteorological Society (Meteorology Club) and overheard some students talking who were also involved at WOUB," she added.
She found out that meteorology students could be weather forecasters on WOUB鈥檚 nightly half-hour news program, NewsWatch.
鈥淚 knew WOUB was something I needed to do,鈥 said Michaels. 鈥淐oming to 91探花, I was excited to get involved with everything, and WOUB made so much sense knowing I wanted to be on TV. WOUB had such an impact on the career I had and continue to have.鈥
It wasn鈥檛 long before Michaels realized that her work at WOUB wasn鈥檛 just to prepare her for her future career.
鈥淚 have a relative who lives in Athens, and once I started doing the weather for WOUB, I would get texts from people in the area who were his friends. They would send me things like 鈥楾alking about it being cold while wearing a tank top dress doesn鈥檛 make sense,鈥欌 said Michaels with a laugh. 鈥淏ut what I realized was this wasn鈥檛 just a training opportunity for me. People were watching because it鈥檚 one of the few places they can get their local weather. There aren鈥檛 a lot of sources for local weather in the region. I realized people rely on WOUB and 91探花鈥檚 Scalia Lab to get reliable weather information.鈥
After Michaels graduated in 2019, she landed her first job as a weekend meteorologist at a TV station in Lima, Ohio. It was a role she was only in for two weeks.
鈥淭he weekday morning meteorologist had moved on to another position,鈥 said Michaels. 鈥淪o, they asked me if I wanted to move to weekday mornings, and I was happy to do it.鈥
Michaels worked in Lima for about six months before she was offered a position as the morning meteorologist at WKEF in Dayton, Ohio.
鈥淚 loved it,鈥 said Michaels. 鈥淚t was great but after about three years I was ready to use my communication skills in a different way.鈥
In 2022, Michaels was hired as a digital media and marketing coordinator for the Dayton Public School District. Dayton is one of the largest districts in the state with more than 12,000 students. Michaels helps to manage the district鈥檚 social media channels and develop marketing materials. But she hasn鈥檛 given up meteorology completely.
鈥淭he district superintendent added me to the weather team to determine snow days. So, I give a forecast to the district during those times. I鈥檝e also done presentations for city plow drivers and showed them how we forecast,鈥 said Michaels. 鈥淎nd I do freelance work for WHIO TV in Dayton when they need someone to help with weather on the weekends.鈥
Michaels says she鈥檚 grateful for her time being a weather forecaster at WOUB.
鈥淲OUB did a great job teaching newsroom basics. I had a really good grasp of how a newsroom worked,鈥 said Michaels. 鈥淚 knew how to pitch a story, how to get my story done quickly, and I was prepared for quick decisions. I also knew how to deal with the technical issues that sometimes happen on live TV. WOUB is a great tool for any student.鈥
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Published
May 7, 2024