At a young age, Carter Vandrasik was captivated by the colors on the weather radar that illuminated his television screen.
“It all started in kindergarten or first grade, those elementary years…I became fascinated (by the radar map),” he said. “It sounds silly, but it was by the colors on the TV. From the radar, I saw all these colors and thought that’s kind of cool.”
That fascination grew into a love for meteorology, and now he has started his career as a weekend meteorologist for KRBC in Abilene, Texas.
Vandrasik graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin on May 4 with his bachelor’s degree in geosciences with a concentration in meteorology.
When deciding on a college, the Kingston Springs native researched other institutions, and found that UT Martin offered the only meteorology program of its kind in the state. Knowing that sealed the deal, and he moved to West Tennessee in August of 2020 to start his collegiate career.
Like many students who started college in 2020, Vandrasik recalled how the COVID pandemic affected his experience.
“I remember taking classes online in my dorm,” he stated. “I lived in Cooper Hall at the time, and I wasn’t able to do a whole lot or get out and meet people.”
After a semester of online classes and virtual events, he was ready to join organizations and immerse himself into the culture of student life at UT Martin. He first joined the Student Alumni Council, where he served as president and chaired the student committee for homecoming.
He later put his new skills with meteorology to use by joining the executive staff at WUTM 90.3 “The Hawk,” the campus radio station. He was the station’s chief forecaster, and he was tasked with producing daily weather briefings and alerting the campus community of potentially dangerous weather through WUTM’s social media.
Vandrasik continued to build his resume by interning at WKRN in Nashville. While working for the ABC affiliate, he was mentored by Danielle Breezy, the station’s chief meteorologist. He had the opportunity to pull forecasts, and his main responsibility was content creation on the station’s social media platforms.
A major takeaway from his internship was the importance of the role that social media plays in the broadcasting industry.
“Social media is going to be around for a while,” he said. “And so, if I keep that going and build those connections, even just to make people feel safe and trusted, then when bad weather comes, they will know I will be there.”
If you ever find yourself in Abilene, Texas, and need a forecast update, you can follow this Skyhawk alum at @wx.cartervandrasik on Instagram for the latest news on all things weather.
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