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Reed McDonough, 22, grew up in Branchburg, New Jersey going to strict religious schools and found UM to be a place where differences are treated like invaluable assets. After arriving on campus as a freshman in 2013, he found "the diversity of the students embodies the soul of this incomparable university."
McDonough graduates this month with a bachelor of science degree in meteorology and minors in broadcast journalism and mathematics. And since early December, the UMTV meteorologist has been recruited by news directors at broadcast outlets across the country after launching his own YouTube channel. He was awarded the 2016-2017 Rex Pompadur Award for Outstanding Service to UMTV and is currently reviewing two-year television contracts and will fly out for interviews two weeks after he graduates.
While attending catholic school, McDonough always wanted to study meteorology and in his homeroom, was able to broadcast the morning announcements as student council vice president. When applying to colleges he searched primarily for meteorology programs. After he visited the UM Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) and met the professors whom he read about in high school, and fell in love with tropical meteorology, he chose to enroll at UM. He made up his mind the weekend after Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey, after vacationing one time on Key Biscayne.
"The weather affects every single person on the planet every second of the day. As a broadcast meteorologist, I really enjoy being able to take complicated science and explain it in two minutes, thirty seconds live on air," said McDonough. He received more than 100 messages the day before Hurricane Matthew moved closest to South Florida on his professional Facebook page and by the end of that night he had 25,000 views on videos he shared. Other universities were contacting him to report on the hurricane's effect on Miami and on UM's campus.
"I never imagined four years ago that I would be where I am today, graduating as a highly sought after broadcast meteorologist. I want to communicate science to a wider audience, as I see a huge gap in the effective communication of science to under-served populations in countries such as Colombia, especially after the recent mudslides that affected so many people," said McDonough. His goal is to create a company that would assist the countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean to better communicate science to their citizens.
