Nothing stops Andrew Paolano.
Not Asperger’s, a form of autism.
Not bullying in high school.
Nothing.
“Having autism is a big challenge,” Andrew told Glens Falls Living. But it hasn't stopped Andrew, 26, from enrolling at SUNY Adirondack to begin his pursuit of a degree in meteorology.
“It will be a big accomplishment for me to become a meteorologist," he said. "I’m very excited.”
“I have always found weather fascinating. I always loved thunderstorms and snowstorms. I’ve always been a big weather fanatic.”
A 2012 Queensbury graduate, Andrew was in elementary school when he reached out to News10 ABC chief meteorologist Steve Caporizzo.
“I called Steve to be a weather watcher when I was six or seven years old, and I’ve been doing that for 20 years,” he said.
He now has a separate Facebook page — Andrew Paolano’s Northeast Weather Forecasting — where he posts weather forecasts and current conditions.
And he has since become friends with Caporizzo and Tim Drawbridge, another meteorologist at News10 ABC, often visiting them at the studio and even appearing on air.
“I really enjoy it,” he said. “I like to be behind the scenes. It’s cool to see how they set up the show, and how they gather the data and use computers to make maps.”
He adds, “Steve and Tim have been great friends to me. We are great friends and I have always looked up to them for their professionalism and the things they do for the community.”
Andrew said they also helped him when he was being bullied in school.
“It bothered me but I just relaxed when I got home and it was really helpful to watch Steve and Tim on the weather…Seeing the weather was calming to me after coming home from being bullied at school.”
Contacted for comment, Mr. Drawbridge said “Andrew is such a kind-hearted and generous person. And he’s very determined. This has been his dream, and it’s a very, very difficult thing to take on.
“But he’s faced so many challenges already…and when he puts his mind to something, he goes and does it. He took the time to properly assess this. And I know he can do this.”
Andrew said he started mulling a career in meteorology “in the last three or four years. I was back and forth on it because I have Asperger’s, and I’m a slow learner of math of science.
“I’m going really slow to start. I’m only doing one class, a math class. It’s lower-level math, and will be a good refresher for me. Then I’ll work my way up to calculus. I plan to take all of my math and science courses at SUNY Adirondack and then go on to get my degree at UAlbany.”
He hopes to finish up his SUNY Adirondack courses “in three or four years. I’m going slower to get my goal accomplished.”
The son of Al and Anne Paolano, Andrew says, “I see myself as an inspiration for other people with autism. Just pursue your dreams. We have one life to live. Just live it! This has always been my dream. I’m going for it!”
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