From School to Studio: The Future is Bright for this Broadcast Meteorology Student

Danielle Van Pelt (’23) has always been fascinated by the weather. Growing up in Fort Myers, Florida, she became accustomed to watching hurricanes and thunderstorms as they came and went. Her interest in weather, partnered with a long-time love for performance arts like theatre and dance, led her to pursue a B.S. in Communication on the Broadcast Meteorology track at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

“I love studying the weather. However, I love educating people about it more,” she shared. “I want to take the technical meteorological jargon and transform it into something engaging and clear that will get everyone and anyone interested.”

The Avion

On top of her coursework, Van Pelt became the News Editor for Embry-Riddle's student-run media organization, The Avion. Once landing the executive board position, she had a platform to make a tangible impact on the organization. Her big idea: the university’s first student-led broadcast program.

“Who would be better to run the show than the student-led media organization on campus? The Avion is known for our bi-weekly print issues, but I wanted us to be known for more,” she said. “I told the rest of the executive board this could all be possible since I have taken classes in our university's green screen newsroom for my major and that I'm aware that anyone can reserve that space if need be.”

Van Pelt is now the Project Lead and one of the Broadcast Meteorologists for The Avion’s weekly broadcast news program, which covers a variety of topics, from the weather near the Daytona Beach Campus to university-specific news and much more. There, she has the opportunity to do what she is passionate about while gaining valuable leadership and broadcast experience that will be applicable to her future career path.

Recently, The Avion earned a second-place award from the Associated Collegiate Press, taking home the Best in Show Award for broadcast news programs on four-year collegiate campuses.

“I'm thankful every day that I spoke up and pushed myself to get this program running. I also thank everyone involved because we won the award for their hard work in this program,” Van Pelt said. “It's an absolute privilege to work with everyone involved, and I thank them for believing in me just as I believe in them every day.”

A Career Path into Broadcast Television

Post-graduation, Van Pelt has summer internship plans with WWSB-ABC in Sarasota, Florida, as a Gray Television Weather Immersion Intern. There, she will be “learning the WSI/MAX Weather System and using station tools to create broadcast and digital forecasts. While the first half of the internship will be focused on learning and practicing, the second half entails forecasting on air.”

Based on success in her internship, Van Pelt will have opportunities to potentially pick up weekend weather broadcast shifts and will be assigned copywriting for digital forecasting on the station’s website.

After Embry-Riddle

Although many of her goals have come to fruition, Van Pelt continues to chase bigger dreams of traveling the world to report on weather phenomena and famous weather events.

“My mother inspires me every day,” she shared, thinking of the source of her ambition. “She is my absolute best friend and has always supported me and my dreams since the very beginning. I couldn’t be where I am today without her. My mother has always encouraged me to dream big.”

Van Pelt shared her advice for other students who “dream big.”

“Your goals and aspirations can come to life here at ERAU. I know mine certainly did. Everyone here, whether it's students, faculty or staff, wants to help you succeed and flourish,” she remarked. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the more popular major. You and your goals are just as important to the ERAU community and are valuable to help the world succeed.”