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StormPursuit
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Currently, I am 23 years old. I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas on September 28th. As far as family, I've got my wonderful parents and one awesome sister. I guess when it comes to weather it all started when I was a kid. Storms didn't scare me in general, but the lightning sure did. Around the age of 12 I began to watch storms on TV and go outside to observe them and compare them to what was being shown on the radar. I quickly got over my fear of lightning and grew a fascination. Whenever storms rolled in, I would be the first one in the family to turn on The Weather Channel and then run outside to watch the storms move in. I would always listen to the storm spotters on the scanner relaying weather information back to the National Weather Service. I began searching the internet for weather related essays, reading lots of books and watching lots of storm videos. One afternoon (when I was 14 or so) I was online and I ran into a Meteorology student (Eric Nguyen) at the University of Oklahoma who was probably my best friend. Eric pretty much became my weather mentor. He was very patient with me and he showed me the science behind weather and storm chasing. He also taught me about mobile data gathering and how all the instrumentation and sensors worked. I learned much from him, and I apply all I know about instrumentation into my weather equipment I use today. You can read about Eric on my Tribute Page. Then Twister came out, which even though it was a far fetched Hollywood movie, it still fed my interest. I finally got my dad involved in my weather hobbies. He is a great guy. Before I got my driver license he would take me to the NOAA open house and help stir my interest, as well as cart me around to observe severe weather in the area. Finally, I turned 16 and applied what I had learned from Eric on mobile atmospheric data gathering and storm chasing, and with his help I assembled a mobile weather station for my vehicle. I began chasing in 2001 and have been observing storms ever since. After I graduated from High School I took some Meteorology courses in College. I focus chasing mainly in Tornado Alley / Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Colorado. When I turned 12 I got my SCUBA diver certification from NAUI, and since then I have gotten my Advanced and NITROX diver certifications and have traveled to the Cayman Islands on multiple occasions, and Jamaica. When I turned 16 I began my interest in Law Enforcement and hooked up with the Dallas Police Department Explorer Program. When I turned 18 I went to Fire Fighters school at the North Texas Training Association Fire Academy. In March of 2003 I got my amateur radio license and was issued the call sign KD5VQP. Once I gained my license, I joined Dallas County Emergency Management (RACES / REACT) and gained my Emergency Management Unit ID. RACES and REACT activates during natural disasters, terror attacks, and any other emergency situation. In November of 2006, I got hired by the Dallas Transit Police as a Police Officer. I realized that this wasn't exactly what I wanted to do, and that severe weather and photography was my calling in life. I wrapped up school and graduated from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting as valedictorian in 2007. I enjoy science, and electronics and I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. On December 1st, 2006 I signed up to volunteer with the United States Air Force Auxiliary, where I am currently a 2LT. I am a really big hockey fan and I enjoy playing the sport as well. I also enjoy photography, whether it is weather, or just nature in general. In December of 2007 I was hired as a News Photographer / live truck operator and storm chaser for KOKI FOX23 News in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In July of 2008, I moved to market 5 and was hired as a full-time Photojournalist at KDAF33 News in Dallas, Texas. I am also the secretary for the N5ERS Emergency Repeater System. |
