(Editor’s note: This is the 13th in a series of stories about students in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications completing summer internships.)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No single weather moment drew Luke Snyder to meteorology, but an early obsession with the Weather Channel and a knack for science and math guided them toward it. An internship with one of the biggest news outlets in the world this summer sealed the deal.
Snyder is a senior double majoring in broadcast journalism and meteorology and atmospheric science. In less than five years, the Moon Township, Pennsylvania, native went from a nervous high school student searching for a career path to an intern for CNN’s weather team.
Snyder spent the summer at the news channel’s headquarters in Atlanta as part of a highly competitive internship program. Their story ideas, research and writing appeared regularly in segments on CNN channels and the CNN app.
“I worked with the weather and climate teams,” Snyder said. “Some of the biggest responsibilities were collecting information and reaching out to sources. I did updates on the flooding in the Northeast and tracked the changes throughout the day … like death toll, rainfall observations, areas impacted.
“It was a really great experience and an opportunity to apply the things I've learned in the classroom.”
From June 2 to Aug. 15, Snyder produced CNN International’s daily “Weather Watch” segment. They also put together the “Weather in Focus” segment, which airs on Mondays and Thursdays. They updated graphics, gathered photos and wrote captions. Each piece helped them build and hone their broadcasting and meteorology abilities.
“Luke is a delightful person and joy to manage,” said Brandon Miller, lead meteorologist and supervising producer for the CNN Weather and Climate team. “His energy and positive demeanor are always appreciated by everyone on the team.”
Knowing that Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns and operates CNN, hires a few hundred summer interns from tens of thousands of applicants, Snyder said they knew what a unique opportunity the internship was. They volunteered for as many tasks as they could and used every opportunity to speak with veteran meteorologists and CNN leaders.
“My goal was to learn as much as I possibly could,” Snyder said. “I can’t wait to share my experiences with my professors and the weather team here. I want to apply everything I’ve learned at CNN to my classes and broadcasts.”
Miller said Snyder excelled at pitching project ideas and proposing assignments that aligned with their strengths and the expectations of the internship.
“In our fast-paced and frequently stressful work environment of a national newsroom, it’s great to have someone that can just jump in and start helping,” Miller said. “This is a welcomed trait that many of the best interns I have managed in nearly 20 years share.”
Liking the atmosphere
“A lot of people who are into weather will say Hurricane Sandy got them into meteorology … or they lived through a tornado or a crazy thunderstorm, and they thought it was interesting,” Snyder said. “I never had one of those moments, but when I was younger, I watched the Weather Channel, and I really liked when they’d do the ‘top 10 most destructive storms.’”
My parents would say, ‘Luke, we don’t want to watch this anymore. Can we change the channel?’” Snyder said with a laugh. However, at the time going into meteorology had a low probability. Instead, Snyder was focused set on theater.
With lots of experience playing percussion and participating in theater during high school, Snyder loved performing. They assumed that some sort of performance arts were in their future. But COVID-19 hit and as public performances dwindled, so did their interest.
“I was home with all the time in the world to practice and train, and I just found that I wasn’t doing nearly as much as I should be if I want to make it my field,” they said. “So, I was kind of sitting there junior year, looking at colleges … and everything I had planned is out the window.”
Snyder added, “So, that freaked me out.”
It was Snyder’s mother who reminded them about their interest in weather, in addition to math, science and performance. It all added up to: “Why not meteorology?”