Student: McKenzie Swindle

Published Apr 01, 2020 by

Grady Dillon

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Weather has always fascinated East Carolina University student Mckenzie Swindle. Now, she is paving her way to a future career in meteorology.

Swindle said that her three majors and three minors will all work together to support her future career in meteorology.

“Before moving to North Carolina, I lived in both Mississippi and Texas,” Swindle said. “It was Mississippi that ignited my fascination with severe weather. I grew up in awe of tornadoes and thunderstorms there and I read every book I could find on weather.”

Swindle, a junior, is triple majoring in atmospheric science, English and religious studies. She is also triple minoring in psychology, linguistics and German studies.

“When I first came to ECU, I knew I wanted to major in both English and atmospheric science, but I wasn’t sure which one would be my primary focus,” Swindle said.

During her freshman year, Swindle said she realized in her weather and climate class that her love for meteorology could develop into a future career.

Swindle said that what led her to take on a heavy workload was the opportunity to have an abundance of information at her fingertips and the chance to pursue all of her interests and passions.

“Not only do I love each of these subjects dearly, but they all work together uniquely to support my future career,” Swindle said.

Swindle said that English and linguistics will provide her with strong reading and writing skills to help her deliver clear and concise information. She said that religious studies and psychology will give her a better understanding of different cultures, beliefs and personalities. She said she chose to study German because of her grandfather.

“He lived in Germany for three years while in the service and instilled a love for the country at a very young age,” Swindle said. “He always told me, ‘If you ever get a chance to learn a language, make it German. And if you ever get a chance to visit a country, make it Germany.’”

Swindle credits her mom for being an influence on her passion for weather, and her advisors and professors for showing her that all of her majors and minors can coexist.

“My mom taught me to have a healthy respect for storms and the atmosphere but to not be afraid of them,” Swindle said. “She encouraged me to explore the unknown rather than fear it, and that has made me into who I am today as a student of science and research.”

Swindle is working on two research projects, one for ECU and the other for the University of Nevada Reno.

“Here at ECU, I’m conducting research with Dr. Tom Rickenbach concerning analysis of seasonal changes in thunderstorm organization across the southeastern U.S.,” Swindle said. “The Nevada project is analyzing survey data on gender bias and the application of stereotypes surrounding women in meteorology.”

Outside of the classroom, Swindle is the president of the ECU chapter of the American Meteorological Society, serves as a tutor at the Pirate Academic Success Center and is the co-administrator of ECU’s StormTrack social media team. She also represented ECU as a freshman in the WxChallenge National Collegiate Weather Forecasting Competition, which she said gave her experience with forecasting and the conditions that create those forecasts.

Swindle has received the Thomas W. Rivers Foreign Exchange Scholarship from the Office of Global Affairs and the Geography Scholarship from the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment during her time at ECU.

Some of Swindle’s hobbies include reviewing books, photography and exploring nature.

Swindle said that some of the things she loves about ECU are the incredible faculty, beautiful campus and the abundance of resources offered to its students.

After she graduates, Swindle plans to pursue a doctorate in atmospheric science.

What advice do you have for other students? Make communication with professors a priority — visiting their office hours not only can help your understanding in their class but can also give them an opportunity to provide guidance, encouragement, and reassurance for your future and your plan of study. Getting a perspective from someone who has been where you are and remembers what college is like can help you feel more understood and make your academic path feel much more conquerable.

What is something cool about ECU that you wish you knew during your first year? I didn’t really venture outside of main campus during my first year. I wish I had, because I later discovered so many amazing places on College Hill and in downtown Greenville that I never knew were there and that I would have really enjoyed utilizing during my early semesters at ECU. Since I’m not originally from North Carolina, I wasn’t familiar with the Greenville area at all and didn’t know what was around (or even know where to start looking). As someone who didn’t live in the dorms, I didn’t think I had any reason to go to the Hill, and I didn’t really have a reason to go downtown since I didn’t have a lot of spare time while on campus; but once I finally did, I realized there are so many incredible stores, restaurants, and study areas just within walking distance of main campus. Even some of my upperclassmen didn’t know about all the places on the Hill when I told them. So the biggest lesson I took from that was to explore.

This Pirate has an eye for the sky.

STATISTICS

Name: Mckenzie Swindle

College: Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences

Major: Atmospheric science, English and religious studies

Age: 21

Classification/Year: Junior

Hometown: Round Rock, Texas

Hobbies/interests: Photography, hiking, travel, hockey, yoga, reading, writing, birding, piano

Clubs and Organizations: President of American Meteorological Society Club; Member of Gamma Theta Upsilon Geographical Honor Society, Religious Studies Club, Geography Club, English Club, German Club

FAVORITES

Favorite hangout: River Park North or David’s Used Books

Favorite place on campus: Joyner courtyard or Fletcher Music Center

Favorite place to eat: Plaza Azteca

Favorite class: I have so many, but I’ll try to narrow it down to one for each major – ATMO 1300: Weather and Climate, LING 2710: English Grammar, and RELI 3930: History of the Devil

Professor who influenced you the most: I’ve been very fortunate to have so many amazing and influential professors, so it’s impossible to pick one — Dr. Thomas Rickenbach, Dr. Rosana Ferreira, Dr. Kathy Dawson, Dr. Hong-Bing Su, Dr. Burrell Montz, Dr. Lee Johnson, and my wonderful German professors

Student: McKenzie Swindle

STATISTICS

FAVORITES

MOTIVATIONS