Monthly Kit Exclusive Interview: Meet Somara Theodore

Somara Theodore is a television meteorologist in Savannah, Georgia. Her enthusiasm for weather is simply contagious.

Keyundra: How did your family support you in achieving your dream career?
Somara: I had great family support along the way.
I come from a household that prides themselves in work ethic and education. They came from humble beginnings therefore I always keep that reminder close to my heart. It gives me a great appreciation for my career and education.
My mother is a midwife and therapist, my father is a surgeon. So the different facets of science are some-thing we always talked about in my home.
My mother taught me an awesome lesson as a child, “Don’t tell everyone, everything, Somara!”
She told me that not all people would understand or appreciate my dream.
Their lack of belief may wear down my spirit.
Therefore, I only told people my dream if my truth felt safe in their company and my spirit was free to be vulnerable.
My father and mother came to this country with very little and knew that the most lucrative and essential tool was their mind.
Therefore my father made it his life’s mission to make sure all his children receive an education.
My sister and friends have been amazing and have always encouraged me to persevere.”

Keyundra: What advice do you have for students who are having a difficult time in math and science?
Somara: I struggled so much with math throughout my matriculation of secondary and higher education.
Here’s what you’ve got to do!
First relax, it seems complex.
The very first time I began figure skating I was sore in places I didn’t think were possible.
The reality is I was using muscles I had never used to that extent before.
The first time I saw abstract art my eyes just could ad-just to finding the beauty in it.
Then I realized skating wasn’t hard and abstract art was actually beautiful I just had to see it through a perspective I had never envisioned and use muscles I nev-er even known existed.
Math is not difficult it is different.
Find out the best way to make it work for you. View it in a way that is unique to you.
This mirrors the development of relationships, and if you use these tactics with math you will fall in love thus growing closer and better at it every day.
As for Science well that’s just fun!

Keyundra: At Ted Talk you spoke about being a first generation American. You have lived in different states and you minored in Chinese and had a field study in China. How has the value of culture shaped you as a meteorologist?
Traveling is something my parents exposed me to from a very young age.
Whether it was vacationing in Mexico or visiting family in Europe.
But there was something very different about my trip to China.
It was my first time visiting the “far east”. It was very different and exhilarating.
It is one thing to study weather from books and radar images, but seeing weather across the world gives you a sense of interconnectedness.
Firstly because some of the same weather patterns in China could affect the weather in North America on the grand scale of things.
But also because you realize no matter color nor creed, belief system or financial standing, we are all affected by weather.I love that about meteorology.
As I travel I love to find local folklore stories and its always interesting to me how much weather can play a role in these stories.
Whether it’s subtle in the background just to set up the scene for the story, or in the forefront giving spiritual reason as to why the sky lights up the way it does during a storm.
Weather is awesome and something every human relates to.

Keyundra: What is a typical day like for you?
Somara: Well that depends on the day.
During the week I’m eating my breakfast at 2 and headed into work.
Eating my lunch around 10 am.
That is all a part of being on the morning shift as a morning reporter.
Weekends I work the night shift.
Either way I love my job so every day is fun.

Keyundra: What legacy do you want to leave?
Somara: I am leaving a legacy of love.
I just want all those I come in contact with to know that they are valued and their dreams count.
I want to inspire them to chase their passions no matter the opposition they face.
My goal is to give without expecting, love without judgment and leave that as my legacy.

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