As an aspiring weather presenter, Sabrina was keen to gain further experience on top of her studies.
"During my time at Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ, I co-founded an online weather page called Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵUniWeather (RUWeather). My friends and I would present outdoor weather forecasts and upload them online for students to watch. I also wrote for the student newspaper, Spark, and helped set up weather forecasts on the student radio, Junction 11. In addition, I was given the opportunity to work on a paid project looking at wind turbine generation."
As a student on the MMet Meteorology and Climate with a Year in Oklahoma course, Sabrina spent her third year at the University of Oklahoma – an experience that she found very valuable.
"My year studying in Oklahoma – tornado alley – was amazing! Here I got to see my first tornado, learn about American culture and make lifelong friends. I was also fortunate to have several television internships and presented some forecasts on live television."
Established links with industry
The Department has long-established, excellent relationships with employers within the meteorological, climate and related sectors. Each year a student-led careers and networking day enables students to establish contacts within their chosen field.
It was here that Sabrina made an important connection.
"From the careers day I gained some work experience at a weather forecasting company called Meteogroup in London. Several months after this work experience I gained a full-time job and this really helped kick-start my forecasting career."
Lights, cameras, action
Sabrina joined BBC Wales in 2019 and is now presenting the weather to thousands of people each day.
"It's a great feeling to be back home communicating my forecasts to a large audience. I try to add how the weather will impact people into my forecasts. For example, I don't want to just say there is mist and fog... instead I would try to say that because there is mist and fog, this will reduce visibility and as a result people should take care and perhaps add some extra time to their journeys."
On what her daily routine normally involves, Sabrina says:
"The first thing I do on my shift is to analyse weather models. I then write a script for radio and build my TV graphics. When it comes to television, some may not be aware that I don't have an autocue, and that somebody is counting in my ear to give me timings.
I also frequently switch between the television and radio studios. When I am off-air I am usually checking the latest observations, so I have up-to-date information for my next set of bulletins."
Sabrina credits the Department of Meteorology at Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ for its "support and guidance" in helping her to reach these goals.
Find out more about our MMet Meteorology and Climate with a Year in Oklahoma course
