IAT]: pa ?i lemlKi s a | Aggielife The Battalion Stjj dheis owtii ppn realij anioji onsoi It nit; ne, i ored, Page 3 • Wednesday, March 24, 2004 Up next... your local forecast ^indents get paid to have their head in the clouds, experience on the resume By Lydia Adams THE BATTALION page ting i An old saying goes, “Do something you love, and you’ll never irk a day in your life.” For Travis Herzog and Conley Isom and vin Walter, nothing could be more true as they share their passion weather with the community working at College Station news Innel, KBTX. 1 Although going to sleep at 7 p.m. and getting up to work at 4 In. may sound like quite a lot of work to some students, Herzog, lienior meteorology major, doesn’t mind the routine that allows Into influence people each day with his enthusiasm and knowl- |ge of the weather. “Hove interacting with people,” Herzog said. “It’s really reward- itions tention ."Bald ;uchaj Iding t lit! : Boil not to if pus, j®. It’s about getting to connect and make a positive impact.” When Herzog, like each of the weather team, gets in front of the cjmera, it’s all improvisation, which allows him to really reach audi- ces in a special way. “(The viewers) get along with the weatherguy,” he said. “They see u as a friend.” But Herzog says he strives to bring more than just rain predictions the Brazos Valley. "It’s my goal not only to bring people the weather, but to bring a It of joy as well,” he said. Herzog says he had a dream and took every opportunity to reach After hearing a guest speaker in his broadcast journalism class, he |tinspired to seek an internship with the weather team at KBTX. Instead of sitting back and waiting for it to happen, Herzog took ieinitiative and called Chief Meteorologist Bob French directly to iquire about the internship. J “You’d be surprised what you get if you just ask for it,” Herzog After only three months, he was hired as a fill-in and four icnths later applied for the morning show as a full-time weather- lan and got the job. Working 40 hours a week and taking a full-time course load has- sloweddown Herzog, who has maintained a 4.0 and will graduate In time this May. He is also the president of Texas A&M Student | liapter of the American Meteorological Society (TAMSCAMS). “lhave to be very disciplined.” he said. “I knew I was making a |acrifice to invest for the future.” After graduation, Herzog plans to continue at KBTX through his Jontractand stay in South Texas throughout his career “Myheart’s in Texas,” he said. “I love the weather here; you get so Jnany extremes.” Texas is also where Herzog found his interest in the weather, lurricane Gilbert sent some fierce tornadoes near his San Antonio lomewhen he was in the first grade, and Herzog became a weather mb a lercem deaf; exeu d it every!) pemiis: to put 'I ate beentl re Coesai tgents nfoi' in nter. agel Sharon Aeschbach • THE BATTALION Senior meteorology majors Conley Isom (left) and Travis Herzog work for KBTX as weathermen. Conley has been working for KBTX since October and he does the weekend weather reports. Herzog has been working for almost channel junkie. After his senior year in high school, he had an opportunity to intern with the weather crew at KENS in San Antonio and returned the fol lowing summers. Now, as a senior in college, Herzog’s advice is, “Dream big, be assertive, aggressive and don’t underestimate the value of an intern ship—take advantage of those opportunities.” Isom also followed hi's dreams to KBTX. After interning with CBS a year and is now a full-time employee in charge of weather reports Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and a lunchtime report. and ABC in Dallas, Isom was ready for his opportunity, going from intern to the fill-in position after only a month. He now also helps coordinate with the current interns. Like Herzog, Isom wanted to be a weather forecaster for as long as he can remember. He recalls watching the news just to see the fore cast, which later turned into a passion that he loves to share. See Weatherman on page 4 i N# ’on** ’Si lAcAvnoN FOR TWO id CHOOSE FROM 3 Day/2 Night or :