Here's a huge cheesehead greeting coming your way. Obviously by that greeting, you guys can figure out that I am from Wisconsin. And yes, I have seen Lambeau Field...I've worked there! A matter of fact, the UWGB mens basketball team plays at the Resch Center, which is right across the street from Lambeau...either way, you will get to see the tradition of Bart Starr, Curly Lambeau and now Brett Favre.

Many come to associate Wisconsin as Freezing, Frigid, or downright Cold. You think the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field has anything to do with that generalization? Yes, in the Winter months, the temperatures possibly drop below zero, but come May, we are enjoying the comfortable days and nights. When Floridians grab a jacket, you'll probably see us cheeseheads in a t-shirt and shorts. To us, 50* is considered a heat wave! On the other hand, the summer can be semi unbearable. Mother Nature really turns the heat up when a Warm Front slides on through.

Ok, ok, enough about Wisconsin and the drastic temperature changes...lets get to my biography. My name is Shannon and I am from Menasha (Men-ash-a), Wisconsin. Its a suburb on the Southeast corner of Appleton, WI. Currently, I am a 21 year old senior at the University of Wisconsin- Green Bay. I have 3 semesters left at UWGB...which means graduation is coming quicker than expected (Yikes) No surprise to my friends, family or co-workers, I chose Meteorology a few years back as a career field that I would like to pursue. UWGB does not have the actual Atmospheric Science/Meteorology degree, which means that I am taking the core classes now that way I can enter into the meteorology major with those classes under my belt. I am not sure what college or university that I'll be attending after I graduate from UWGB, but there is a great chance that I will stop my voyage along the Gulf of Mexico or in Hawaii studying Tropical Meteorology. Time and financial support will be the deciding factor behind the next stop on the college/ university train.

I am currently a five year resident of the Neenah-Menasha YMCA Aquatic Staff. Yup, started working as a Lifeguard and Swim Lesson Instructor a month after I turned 16. Right now, I am currently teaching and lifeguarding at Neenah-Menasha on Saturdays and at Green Bay YMCA (Broadview Center) during the week. Whether its the Preschool/Kindergarten Level or the grade school kids, it seems to amaze me the different styles and paces the children learn at. Lesson after lesson, I can watch the children grow and mature as a swimmer. As a teacher, I have learn to associate everyday items with swimming...It helps the children understand the movement of their arms and legs. As for the older school age kids, endurance is key, but so is correct strokes. Repetitive nature can get the kids to realize something that they are doing wrong and they can hopefully try to correct their problem. There are many days that I am asked to officiate Neenah-Menasha Y Sharks Swim Meets. Whether it is the Holiday Classic or a dual between a conference team, I get a call to bring my 'whites' to work.

When I worked WFRV (CBS) in Green Bay, I learned the tricks of the meteorological trade. Whether it is forecasting, analysis or presenting; something new and/or spectacular happens each day. Yes, it could be a slow day weatherwise in Northeast Wisconsin, but in other parts of the country, severe weather could be producing tornadoes or a hurricane could be pounding a portion of the US coastline.

I am also very active in Habitat for Humanity. Ironically, UWGB has an extremely active chapter, which I am proud to be associated with. While building with Habitat, I have understood that poverty hits everywhere, no community is immune to the destructive forces of homelessness. Each year, UWGB Habitat personnel have the opportunity to travel to communities East of the Mississippi River. The two exceptions were Austin, Texas and Springhill, Louisiana. The picture above was taken during a Collegiate Challenge Spring Break to Norristown, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is not the best location for Spring Break, but it was fine with us. For our day off, we had the chance to visit the sights and sounds of the Big Apple...yup, New York City. Ironically, it was the day that Bush declared War on Iraq, but we could care less, nothing was going to spoil our trip to New York. As you can see, I was in the process of building a concrete cinder block wall. To make a long story short; my 25ft tape measure was dropped into one of the holes by a good friend of mine. That is now a permanent time capsule for the new homeowners. To this day, I laugh about the incident.

Right now, I am in the process of building a high altitude balloon at Marquette University in Downtown Milwaukee. Currently out of six students, I am the only scientist, working on the project, my other co-workers are all engineering students from Marquette University or Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). Hopefully, by the end of the summer, we will be in the history books to be the first group in Wisconsin to successfully build, launch and track a high altitude balloon.