Ada Monzón (adamonzon.com; foto-ada-3-e1758546756653.jpg)
WOMEN AND ADVERSITY
ADA MONZÓN
METEOROLOGIST, PUERTO RICO
NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
Until the 1970s, men dominated news broadcasting, including weather, but when the Equal Rights Amendment became headline news, people became aware that women could hold positions on TV as well. Stations introduced the moniker “Wanda the Weather Girl,” and a woman gave the weather report with viewers often snickering at the name. Now decades later, women are respected meteorologists, and Ada Monzón is one of them.
Monzón is chief meteorologist for WAPA-TV and WKAQ Radio in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the first meteorologist from that unincorporated U.S. territory. She is the first woman in Latin America to be a certified broadcast meteorologist and Fellow of the American Meteorological Society. She provided residents with weather updates during the devastating 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria and helped them stay calm.
She is the founder and president of EcoExploratorio: Museo de Ciencias de Puerto Rico (Museum of Sciences of Puerto Rico), which focuses on environmental protection and education. One purpose is to inspire children’s curiosity. She is the only professional meteorologist with a master’s degree in Tropical Meteorology in the news media of Puerto Rico.
Bio
- 1965 – Born on May 12 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
- 1986 – Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus
- Master’s degree in meteorology, Florida State University
Career
- 1989 – U.S. National Weather Service Forecast Office, San Juan, Forecaster and Warning and Preparedness Meteorologist
- 1997-2002 – Weather Anchor for WIPR-TV, San Juan
- 2003-2014 – Chief meteorologist at WLII-TV Univision Puerto Rico
- Subrecipient (Puerto Rico is the main recipient) of FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
- Principal investigator for NASA Teams II
- EcoExploratorio awarded grants for Institute of Resilience of Puerto Rico
- Solar System Ambassador
- NASA Social Alumni
- Ada Monzón has appeared in the movies Stranded in Paradise (2014), Puerto Rico: Hope in the Dark (2018) and Force of Nature (2020).
Awards
- 2018 – National Weatherperson of the Year
- 2019 – American Meteorological Society Award for Broadcast Meteorology
- 2020 – Sor Isolina Ferre medal for community service and education
Personal Life
- Married to Gilberto
- Monzón, Executive Vice President, Specialized Businesses Group, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico
- The couple has three daughters
More Information
https://ecoexploratorio.org
www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1300557188095935
https://hispanicengineer.com/manage-new/ada-monzon-is-2018-national-weatherperson-of-the-year
Entrevista de Accuweather a Ada Monzón
www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/ada-monzon-ciencia-y-educacion-para-crear-resiliencia-en-el-pueblo-de-puerto-rico/344219
