Ralph Vasami, Woodlands High School, 1978
Metereology internship with Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc.

Back in 1978 I was 17 and at a critical point in my life. Anxious, and honestly even fearful, about what to do next, whether I should attend college or just continue working and hanging out with friends, which, at the time, seemed like the more comfortable thing to do.

But, like most of us, I had higher aspirations for my life—Success, financial stability, respect and values, purpose and the ability to give back to the community and my family. We were all 17 once. Wouldn’t it have been great to have a plan? Think about 17-year-olds today—many are looking for guidance, a set of values and confidence to further develop, but not all of them know how to seek them out.

I once heard “when the student is ready the teacher will appear.” What WISE gave me was structure through a process—it provided tools, values and behaviors to turn bricks into great stadiums—the ability to explore and experience a real career opportunity. The program did a great job integrating students, teachers, mentors, family support and corporate America to a common goal of student development and a real world experience.

Today my leadership style at Universal Weather and Aviation still reflects what I learned in WISE over 30 years ago:

Passion and Courage: I always loved the weather and was passionate about my WISE project. I loved the topic. You also have to have the courage to get out of your comfort zone and experience and try new adventures. I can tell many students are passionate and courageous from recent Wise projects I have seen online.

Journaling: Journaling is an excellent tool to collect learning experiences, quotes, thoughts and emotions that I can jot down and reflect back on at any time.

Mentors and coaches: Meeting with my mentor was very beneficial to my development. He held me to high standards and always expected and encouraged the best of me. Today I have three mentors/coaches and belong to a local CEO group in Houston because I constantly strive to improve my weaknesses and enhance my strengths.

Workshops: At UV we hold these with employees several times per year. It gives me a great opportunity to learn from them on how to improve and for our employees to feel heard and appreciated.

Oral presentations—public speaking: Wow! How we all underestimate this skill; “if you young people take one thing I said tonight with you it is this one—Develop your public speaking and communications skills!!! The chance to develop and make an oral presentation in WISE was an excellent start.

Projects: My [WISE] internship started it all and the opportunity clinched my decision to attend college and pursue my Meteorology degree.

Accountability: This was another valuable lesson with WISE. It was not a vacation or a chance to miss a few classes. It was hard work and I was held accountable to all my deadlines and commitments.

Transparency: We learned to develop trust in the program. My mentor and I were honest and open with each other. We really enjoyed our sessions together. You quickly learn that trust, credibility and integrity are tremendous values that must never be compromised.

Fun: You have to have fun. I had fun with my project! I loved storms and the dynamics of the atmosphere. My internship at Universal allowed me to experience first hand how much professional pilots flying all over the world valued custom weather briefings and the critical information we provided.

I learned there was so much more to the science than what you see on TV. It was truly enjoyable to meet new people and build lasting relationships that I still maintain today.

As I grew in Universal, these experiences and the continued use of my WISE principles helped me move into sales and marketing and eventually management. It is a privilege to lead a successful organization that is now present in over 30 countries around the world, employs over 1200 people and generates close to a billion dollars in revenue.

Because WISE was so special for me, and I believe in the educational system overall, I promise to remain a mentor—and give to others what WISE gave to me.