Senior Spotlight: Sean Ernst

The School of Meteorology is extremely proud of the graduates produced each year, knowing that OU Meteorology alumni go on to do amazing things. For the next few weeks, we’re publishing stories of our students who are excited about upcoming jobs, graduate school placements, or overcoming hardships to reach where they are today. Up first is Sean Ernst!

Sean Ernst is a Meteorology senior from Pepperell, Massachusetts, about an hour north and west of Boston. Sean developed an early interest in meteorology when his parents took him to the Cog Railway on Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. Though he wanted to visit because he was a huge train fan, Sean was amazed by the weather exhibits on display at the mountaintop observatory, and thereafter couldn’t stop asking questions about how the weather worked! He came to OU in August 2014, and during his time here has had the opportunity to participate in, as well as lead, the Oklahoma Weather Lab, and perform research at NOAA Headquarters in Silver Spring, MD, as a NOAA Hollings Scholar. In March, Sean accepted an offer from the OU School of Meteorology’s graduate program and will begin work on his Master’s degree this summer, working with an interdisciplinary team seeking to understand how individuals understand and use meteorological information. Sean told us that he felt focusing on interacting with professors and staff, and seeking and taking advantage of the many opportunities at the NWC, best helped him prepare for his start in graduate school – and advises other students to participate in extracurricular activities, like OWL and SCAN, and to help others grow on their educational journeys wherever you can. Sean also shared a few photos of his time at OU, seen below.

 

Congrats, Sean! We’re glad you chose to stay on here and look forward to working with you in upcoming years!