Communiqué
WOUB Senior Spotlight: Erin Ashley
By: Andre Norrils
Posted on:
Erin Ashley will be a meteorologist at WTVG in Toledo, Ohio
Erin Ashley, a senior at Ohio University studying broadcast meteorology, is set to start her professional career after graduating this May. She will be a weekend morning meteorologist at WTVG in Toledo, Ohio. She didn’t always know she wanted to be a meteorologist but discovered it was the career for her.
“I’ve always been a very well-spoken person and just very confident in what I’m saying,” Ashley said. “I think there is incredible value in being a weather communicator because everybody is impacted by the weather, and it takes skill to be able to take all that technical knowledge and make it more digestible by everyday people.”
Ashley credits WOUB with giving her the real-world experience that helped her get her meteorologist position in Toledo. Ashley is currently the lead weather forecaster for WOUB’s NewsWatch.
“WOUB gave me a lot of really good experiences and more importantly, I met a lot of great people. That’s something that I’ll take with me forever.”
Ashley’s journey to meteorology wasn’t straightforward. After graduating high school in Goshen, Ohio, she attended Ohio State University for nursing. It wasn’t until she took a geography course that she discovered her interest in meteorology. Ashley decided to transfer to Ohio University to pursue it. She appreciated the support and encouragement she received from her meteorology professors.
“The meteorology professors at Ohio University made the process super easy and realistic for me,” she said. “They not only encouraged me to make the transition but also gave me the tools to do it.”
Each semester, the WOUB Job Connection Program invites television recruiters from several different media companies to campus to interview current students for internships and full-time jobs. Though Ashley had already started conversations with WTVG before the news director visited Ohio University as part of the program, hearing more about the station in person continued Ashley’s interest in the station.
Ashley is grateful for the experience she received from WOUB and Ohio University’s meteorology program. The skills she learned from both programs will help her throughout her career.
“It was the fastest two years of my life because it feels like I was here for a longer time,” said Ashley. “Like I got four years of experience with only doing it for two years.”
Outside of meteorology, Ashley enjoys playing soccer, rock climbing, and juggling. She also is a huge Cincinnati Bengals fan.