First-generation college student learned new skills and excels in atmospheric sciences

University of Hawaii At Mānoa, student Anamaria Navarrete has always been fascinated by severe weather. As she graduates this spring with a degree in atmospheric sciences, Navarrete is proud to have persevered in her journey as a first-generation college student and looks ahead to graduate school.

Navarrete hesitated to make one ROD field that has a reputation for being academically challenging. She started her academic journey as a political science major and planned to attend law school. In the spring of 2021, she realized that law was not the career path for her. She switched to atmospheric sciences in the Uh Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology (ZOEST) and continued to pursue a minor in political science.

“I knew it would be difficult, but I was willing to work hard,” Navarrete said. “Now that I have almost finished my studies, I am so very happy that I made the switch, because I don’t see myself studying any differently. Not only do I love the subject, but the department professors, staff and my fellow colleagues have made this experience very memorable by being so supportive of each other.”

Gain research experience and skills

During a meeting with Jennifer Small Griswold, her academic advisor and department chair of atmospheric sciences, Navarrete shared her interest in attending graduate school. Griswold offered her the opportunity to work on a final project. Although she did not have to complete the bachelor’s degree, Navarrete started the research project to learn new skills, such as computer coding, and gain experience to prepare her to complete a master’s thesis.

“Anamaria was a perfect candidate for a senior thesis,” Griswold said. “Her innate curiosity blossomed through independent research and allowed her to pursue her own scientific question and decide on the tools she needed to answer it. During her research, she became a competent programmer because she had to learn to code to answer her question and achieve her goal.”

Navarrete’s research over the past year has focused on understanding how various atmospheric and oceanic systems, such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation and the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool, influence the creation and progression of tropical cyclones. She analyzed satellite data from three tropical cyclones that hit Fiji during the 2020-2021 tropical cyclone season.

“These types of studies on a local scale are essential,” says Navarrete. “Improving our understanding of microclimates on each island of Fiji could improve the accuracy of weather forecasts, validate climate model output and even be useful in climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.”

For more information, see ZOEST‘s website.

–By Marcie Grabowski