Roswell High Grad Makes Debut as Meteorologist

graduate Ryan Beesley made his television debut as a weatherman in Mississippi last weekend, but it wasn't too many years ago he nearly gave up the dream to become a meteorologist - making those first few seconds of air time that much sweeter.

It was the death of his father from cancer at the end of his junior year in 2007 that marked a crucial moment in Beesley's life, says his mother, Laury Beesley. Beesley had always planned to pursue meteorology as a career and since no Georgia colleges offered the degree, he would have to leave the state.

But when his dad died he was "heart broken and grief stricken," said Laury. "He wanted to stay in-state for financial [reasons] and 'stay close' for mom."

Laury argued against it, but it wasn't until a friend from church introduced Beesley to Atlanta weatherman Paul Ossmann that he "bounced" back and refocused on the future he had planned before his father's death. He was accepted into the meteorology program at University of South Alabama, where he recieved in-state tuition through the Southern Regional Education Board's Academic Common Market, which allows students to receive in-state tuition when their state does not offer their major of choice. He graduated from college during the spring of 2012 with a 3.0 GPA and a top forecaster award.

Two months after graduation he got a job as the weekend broadcast meteorologist with the Gulfport/Biloxi, MS news station, WLOX. 

"Dreams do come true even through heartache," Laury told Roswell Patch.

Beesley fully realized his dream last weekend, when he completed his first weather report, Saturday, July 28. (Click here to watch it online.)

When asked how she felt about her son's accomplishment, Laury said, "It feels like being on a cloud, floating with joy; looking down on a life Ryan's beloved dad and I created!"