Analyzing, forecasting and broadcasting weather has been a favorite interest for Ryan Assarian ‘23 since 2014. Assarian has put in a lot of work over the years to educate himself on everything there is to know about the weather, from watching The Weather Channel to reading academic journals, and even getting his own weather station.
“I’ve tried to absorb every drop of weather and broadcasting knowledge,” he said. All of this hard work and dedication to his passion recently paid off for Assarian because on June 2 he officially became certified by the National Weather Service and obtained his certification as a SKYWARN Spotter.
As described by the National Weather Service, “SKYWARN® storm spotters form the nation’s first line of defense against severe weather. There can be no finer reward than to know that your efforts have given your family and neighbors the precious gift of time-minutes that can help save lives.” Clearly this is a great and important achievement for Assarian.
Assarian’s journey with his passion for weather so far has been a busy one. When his passion began in 2014, he applied for and was selected to join the WBZ Weather Watcher Network in Boston, Mass. where he was able to share his weather observations in his neighborhood with CBS Boston.
Assarian said that through this experience, “I have provided over 1,500 reports to the station, have been spotlighted for my dedication, given the title of ‘Ryan from Reading’ and even got a chance to go to the station during a live broadcast.”
Assarian not only reported his neighborhood weather conditions to CBS Boston, but when he was in high school, he was the only on-camera meteorologist at his hometown broadcast station, Reading Community Television (RCTV).
During this exploration of his weather passion, Assarian was able to connect with professionals in the field, including now-retired WBZ meteorologist Barry Burbank, The Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore and chief meteorologist Harvey Leonard on WCVB-TV Channel 5 in Boston, Mass., to name a few. “They all influenced me to continue with my passion, so I did,” Assarian said.
Receiving certification to be a SKYWARN Spotter with the National Weather Service is validation for Assarian that his hard work and dedication to the weather industry so far has been well worth it.
“I never settled for a weather app, I never stopped wondering why today’s weather was different than yesterday’s and I never stopped watching the weather,” Assarian said.
The Mirror congratulates Ryan on his accomplishment and wishes him all the best in his future affairs in the weather industry!
*Ryan Assarian is a rising sophomore majoring in accounting in the Dolan School of Business and would like to add an environmental science or atmospheric science minor. He is a Fairfield University Student Association (FUSA) Senator for the Class of 2023. Ryan serves on the Community Safety and Relations board and will be serving as the chair in the Spring 2021 semester. He also swims on the Fairfield University club swim team. Ryan works in the athletic department for consumer and fan engagement, and he is a cantor for the 11:00 a.m. Sunday morning masses on campus.*
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