Senior Spotlight May 2022 – Kiley Allen

Senior Spotlight May 2022 – Kiley Allen

It’s that time of year! We are continuing our tradition of Senior Spotlights! For everyone, the past few years have been quite difficult, but we want to highlight our amazing seniors for having the tenacity to succeed through these tough times.  

Meet Kiley Allen! She’s from Sykesville, Maryland, and she became interested in meteorology when she found out she could combine her love of math and science! 

“Ever since middle school, nothing has motivated me more than a thunderstorm rolling through. I knew I loved science and wanted to pursue mathematics, so when I realized that I could apply those to the weather I was sold, and haven’t looked back since,” she said. 

 

So she traveled all the way over to Norman! During her time in college, Kiley was a student ambassador for the OU School of Meteorology, a member of the Oklahoma Weather Lab (OWL), and a member of the Student Chapter of the American Meteorological Society (SCAN). 

To her, the toughest part of college was feeling slightly out of place among the weather enthusiasts.  

“I knew absolutely nothing about meteorology when I came to OU, so being surrounded by my peers who were infatuated with the subject since a young age was really tough at first. Once I reminded myself that I could do anything I put my mind to, I slowly began to see progress and that I could bring a unique perspective to the field,” Kiley said. 

But college is not all difficult times!  

“My favorite part of college was the relationships I built, especially with my best friends and mentors. I would like to especially thank Dr. Homeyer and Dr. Basara for their kindness and support over the past few years; my experience at OU would not be the same without them, or the lifelong friends I’ve become close with,” she said.  

 

After graduation in May, Kiley will be attending graduate school at Pennsylvania State University working with Dr. Paul Markowski and Dr. Ying Pan on supercell dynamics from convective initiation to tornadogenesis! She plans to earn both her Master’s and Doctorate’s degree at PSU and then apply her meteorology knowledge to national security or national defense! 

Congratulations, Kiley! The School of Meteorology is excited to see all you do in the future!