Since the eighth grade, Kelsie Knowles knew she wanted to be a meteorologist. It took overcoming a childhood fear of thunderstorms, but once that passed, an enduring fascination with meteorology led her to pursue a degree in atmospheric sciences. Currently, the self-proclaimed “weather nerd” writes a weather column for the Lynnwood, Edmonds, and Mountlake Terrace online newspapers.
The column, titled “Weather bloggin’ for the common noggin,” aims to demystify the science behind weather and “help people learn something new about meteorology with every blog” by providing insight into “Pacific Northwest weather that everyone can understand”.
A Lynnwood native, Knowles turned to Shoreline to help her pursue her dream.
“Knowing that my degree would be heavy in math and science classes, I decided to get as many of those requirements done at Shoreline before transferring to a four-year university,” Knowles said. While you’re covering the same material, those classes are notoriously challenging at universities because of the large class sizes and lack of access to professors for extra help.
Knowles attributes Shoreline with helping her ease into college life. “My experience at Shoreline solidified good study techniques as well as the ability to figure out degree requirements and classes,” said Knowles. During her time at Shoreline, Knowles worked as a tutor and front desk assistant in the Math Learning Center. Knowles went on to graduate from the University of Washington in 2019 with a Bachelor’s degree in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology.
“One thing that resonated with me about Shoreline was the opportunity to take classes with students from so many different backgrounds,” Knowles said. “I would recommend Shoreline because, not only is it financially responsible to attend community college before university, but I think there are mental health benefits as well,” she continued
Knowles got turned on to blogging about the weather after completing an internship at KOMO News with Shannon O’Donnell and Scott Sistek. “It helped me realize I enjoy writing about the weather in a way that is accessible to everyone,” Knowles said.
You can follow her Weather Bloggin’ for the Common Noggin page and read more about Kelsie HERE.