Haley Meier shares her story of becoming an on-air FOX Weather Meteorologist, including how she first joined the FOX Weather family as the inaugural recipient of the FOX Weather-Mississippi State University scholarship in 2022.
NEW YORK – A thriving partnership between FOX Weather and Mississippi State University (MSU) continues to launch the careers of aspiring meteorologists by tapping into the expansive expertise of FOX Weather meteorologists and giants in the broadcast industry.
Through their annual scholarship, which also comes with internship and mentorship opportunities, the weather news network and one of the top meteorology schools in the nation have so far given three undergraduate students in the MSU Department of Geosciences opportunities for professional growth.
This year, a fourth student, Isabelle Stewart, has been named the next recipient of the annual FOX Weather-MSU scholarship program.
Steve Bender with FOX Weather-MSU scholarship recipients Sadie Morris, Mark Kimoto and Haley Meier.
(FOX Weather)
Stewart is a sophomore studying Geosciences with a concentration in Professional Meteorology and an emphasis in Broadcast Meteorology and a minor in Communications.
As part of the scholarship, FOX Weather meteorologist Steve Bender will serve as a mentor to Stewart effective immediately and she will intern with FOX Weather beginning in 2026.
We are taking a look back at the experiences of past scholarship recipients and how they have already begun to make an impact in the field of broadcast meteorology.
The weather expertise at FOX Weather crosses multiple generations, from scholarship recipients and recent MSU geoscience graduates to world-renowned experts whose work spans decades.
One of those experts includes FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross, who recently hosted a meteorology summit at Mississippi State University.
Using his more than 50 years of broadcast experience, such as guiding Floridians through the historic disaster of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Norcross gave career advice to MSU students attending the event.
NEARLY 50 YEARS IN FLORIDA TAUGHT BRYAN NORCROSS ABOUT MONSTER STORMS
FOX Weather hurricane specialist Bryan Norcross explains his role in keeping people safe and informed as Hurricane Andrew bore down on South Florida in August 1992.
Covering the event for FOX Weather was the third and most recent scholarship recipient, Sadie Morris. Morris is working toward earning a Bachelor of Science degree in geosciences with an emphasis in broadcast meteorology.
As part of the scholarship program, Morris was able to learn under the guidance of mentor and FOX Weather Meteorologist Jane Minar, whose own experiences with mentors showed her the value of making such valuable connections in the industry.
FOX Weather meteorologist Jane Minar with her mentee and MSU scholarship recipient Sadie Morris.
(FOX Weather)
“I have so much gratitude for those who have been and continue to be mentors to me. So when I was asked to be Sadie’s mentor, I couldn’t have been more excited to give back in the same way,” Minar said. “We connected almost immediately on our love for weather and zest for life.”
This connection is something the second recipient of the FOX Weather-MSU scholarship, Mark Kimoto, also experienced. A geoscience major focusing on professional meteorology and minoring in communication, Kimoto was able to learn from the mentorship of FOX Weather Meteorologist Craig Herrera.
FOX Weather meteorologist Craig Herrera with his mentee and MSU scholarship recipient Mark Kimoto.
(FOX Weather)
“Being a mentor is more than an honor. It’s a privilege,” Herrera said. “From the get-go, Mark Kimoto and I hit it off, and I feel like he’s my little brother. Mark is a great guy who absorbs so much information and guidance.”
In addition to Kimoto and Morris, Haley Meier, the first recipient of the scholarship, also had the opportunity to learn from a mentor, FOX Weather Meteorologist Marissa Torres.
FOX WEATHER’S STEVE BENDER, HALEY MEIER INSPIRE STUDENTS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SYMPOSIUM
Torres noted how, during the mentorship, she visited Meier at MSU and shadowed her for the day. She also provided career advice, such as reviewing her resume reel, but mostly chatted about life.
FOX Weather President Sharri Berg alongside the FOX Weather meteorologist mentors with their mentees and recipients of the MSU scholarship.
(FOX Weather)
“Being a mentor is an incredible opportunity and one I was honored to be a part of,” Torres said. “I was paired with Haley Meier, who, by no surprise, is now my coworker at FOX Weather.”
By the end of the program and upon graduating from MSU in 2023, Meier joined FOX Weather as an on-air meteorologist and now hosts her own show.
The successes of Meier, Kimoto and Morris are demonstrative of the strength of the FOX Weather-MSU scholarship program.