Hello, my name is Shannon Hurley. I am in my second year at Chandler-Gilbert Community College pursuing a degree in Geography with an emphasis in Meteorology. I plan on transferring to Arizona State University to complete my bachelor's and earn my certification in Geographic Information Systems. I also want to continue my education and earn a Ph.D. in meteorology. My goals are to forecast the weather for one of the various entities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization, such as the National Weather Service. I would also like to participate in mesoscale and synoptic scale meteorology research. I have been inspired by the weather since I was a child. I was fortunate enough to experience all types of weather while growing up in the Midwest, including tornadoes. I recognized early on the importance of keeping people safe during these extreme events, which became a big primary reason for wanting to study meteorology. I hope my research of severe weather can provide the public with better knowledge of disaster preparedness and future urban planning.