Senior Spotlight May 2022 – Lily Raye

Senior Spotlight May 2022 – Lily Raye

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.  

Meet Lily Raye! She’s from Frisco, Texas, and she has always been interested in meteorology.

“My passion for meteorology has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. In elementary school, I had to write a story about what I wanted to be when I grew up. Though I didn’t know what meteorology was, I wrote about “Lily the Good Weather Girl”, a superhero who could predict storms and save lives,” she said.  

“Growing up in North Texas, I experienced my fair share of severe weather! Whenever there was a severe threat, I would sit in my backyard for hours and watch the atmosphere change. There are several events that sparked my interest in meteorology, including the April 27, 2011 and April 3, 2012 tornado outbreaks. I never knew I wanted to pursue meteorology until the Rowlett EF4 tornado on December 26, 2015. This event shocked me because I had no idea that tornadoes could occur in the winter or hit densely populated areas. One of my friends was hosting a holiday party at her house in Garland and had no idea the tornado was approaching. I still remember staying on the phone with her and providing her family constant updates as they took shelter,” she said. 

So she traveled all the way up to Norman. During her time in college, Lily was a member of the Student Chapter of the American Meteorological Society (SCAN) and National Weather Association (NWA), the Senior Class Representative for the School of Meteorology (SoM) Student Affairs Committee (SAC), a SoM student ambassador, and a member of the New Student Mentoring Program in the SoM. 

To her, the toughest part of college was time management.  

“I think the hardest part about the meteorology program and college in general was learning how to manage my time efficiently, and dealing with imposter syndrome. I had no idea college classes would be so different than high school classes! College was also difficult for me because I have always put pressure on myself to get “good” grades, and I always felt that my peers were outpacing me. However, I soon discovered that learning and passion will take me farther than any number ever can,” Lily said. 

But college is not all about difficult times!  

“My favorite part about college was being in the Pride of Oklahoma marching band,” she said. 

After graduation in May, Lily will attend NC State University to pursue a PhD in Atmospheric Science!

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