PHOTO COURTESY WESLACO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
UTRGV students will have the opportunity to gain career advice and industry insight from an expert during an upcoming COMMversation event from 12:30 to 2 p.m. March 31 at the PlainsCapital Bank Theater in the Student Union on the Edinburg campus, hosted by the university’s communication department.
The event will feature Tim Smith, chief meteorologist at KRGV Channel 5 News, who will share career advice, discuss his background in meteorology and participate in a Q&A with students.
Alyssa Cerroni, a senior lecturer in the Department of Communication at UTRGV, said the goal of COMMversation is to learn about communication.
“We want to bring students across disciplines to learn about careers … and learn from people who have worked in the field,” Cerroni said.
She added she hopes students also develop an interest in taking communication courses.
Cerroni said the department chose Smith as a speaker because of his influence and long career in communication.
“The most obvious choice was Mr. Tim Smith,” she said. “We also know that he’s a beloved member of our community.”
Smith has more than 40 years of experience in the field. He began his career at KRGV in 1981 as a weekend weather reporter and was promoted to weekday reporting in the spring of 1983.
He said he accepted the invitation to speak at the event because he feels a connection to the campus community and wants to motivate students.
“I love UTRGV, I didn’t go to school there, but I feel like I did because I’ve spent so much time on campus [at events],” Smith said. “ … And to motivate students and take that opportunity, I’ll be happy to be there and do that.”
Cerroni said it is important for students to attend because “they can learn beyond the theory we teach in class.”
“They get to learn from somebody who is using applied behaviors every day at work,” she said. “They get to pass along practical skills and knowledge that they have.”
When asked about becoming one of the Rio Grande Valley’s most recognized news figures, he replied, “[It] makes me feel like I’ve done my job over the years.”
“My job is to … predict the weather day to day, but … also keep people safe during storms by giving them good information that can be used to prepare their home and family,” Smith said.
He added he appreciates the recognition, and it leaves a good feeling that the community has listened.
Cerroni said it is best for students to learn from people doing the jobs and careers of interest at events like COMMversation.
“They can provide practical, realistic information that [students] can use once they graduate from college,” she said.
During the event, Smith hopes students leave with the message that “anything is possible.”
“I never dreamt that the things that would happen in my life have happened,” he said. “I was not a scientist … I was a broadcaster, which I still am, but the science side of it kind of took over, and I never dreamt of that.”
Smith added he wants to give students a first-hand look into what the industry is like.
“I think I’d give them a realistic look at the industry, having been in it for so long,” he said. “I can help them see the upside, and I can talk about the downside.”
