Alumni

Class of 2017 graduate Alexis Clemons is a meteorologist for NBC Connecticut. She spends her days forecasting in one of the larger television markets in the country and being a Critical and Creative Thinker.

Her elementary-school self may not have been as enthusiastic about the job.

Clemons was a sixth grader in 2011, when severe weather was a constant threat in Missouri. 2011 is one of the most tornadic years in recorded history. St. Louis had its fair share of severe thunderstorms, and Clemons was terrified of them. She remembers one that happened during school very clearly.

“We were all in class together, and you look outside — on the playgrounds, trees were almost sideways because of the wind, the sky was green, and my heart just completely sunk,” Clemons said. “We went into the hallway, and I just remember being completely terrified. I remember thinking to myself, ‘I cannot go through this mentally every single time a storm rolls through.’”

On the advice of a friend, she began to learn everything she could about storms to help take away the terror. One of the first storms she learned about was the Tri-State Tornado, a 1925 tornado that began south of St. Louis in Reynolds County, crossed through southern Illinois and finally ended in Indiana. After a while, she fell in love with weather science.

“It was a passion for keeping people informed and safe,” Clemons said. “If it can help me, it can help other people. I always loved watching the meteorologists on TV, and that gave me comfort. That’s what I wanted to do.”

Her zeal did not wane during her time as a Broncho. After graduating in 2017, she attended meteorology school at Mizzou, which, despite Mizzou’s large enrollment, had smaller class sizes that made her feel right at home.

“It was like my own mini-Bayless,” Clemons said, comparing the size of her classes growing up and her meteorology classes in college. “I wanted to have that big school experience, so Mizzou was that great stepping stone for me. But the program itself was so small. Like at Bayless, everybody knew everybody and we had the best time.”

Clemons benefitted from Mizzou’s ownership of NBC 8 KOMU, which is an NBC Affiliate station owned by the university. The station has several full-time anchors, meteorologists and other staff, but students comprise a large portion of the workforce.

The opportunities with KOMU meant Clemons got on-air experience as a weekend weathercaster before she finished school. She graduated with a large amount of on-air experience — something news stations look for in applicants.

After graduating, Clemons went to KODE/KNSF (NBC) in Joplin, Missouri, to be a Weekday Morning Meteorologist. Starting there, she worked to develop herself into a trusted source of weather information, much like the meteorologists she watched growing up.

“Meteorologists get the (reputation) that we’re right 50% of the time,” Clemons said. “That’s always the joke, and I’ve heard it a lot. We have to be honest. If there is uncertainty in the forecast — I’m going to tell you. If we’re expecting a little more sunshine that day, that normally means temperatures will warm up.”

After Joplin, she moved to Madison, Wisconsin to be the Weekend Morning Meteorologist at WKOW (ABC). Her most recent move was to Hartford, Connecticut to join NBC Connecticut.

Moving from the Midwest to the Northeast came with a new understanding of how weather impacts local economies. For example, St. Louis frequently gets snow that melts when a warm front moves through. In Hartford, however, winters often stay cold for much longer. The city thrives on winter tourism and other winter-related industries.

Despite the new weather conditions in the Northeast, a big part of her job remains the same — being someone the community can trust. She and her fellow meteorologists have access to some of the most advanced weather data and systems available, and Clemons gets to be the face of a scientific community dedicated to helping people. And due to the advancement of technology and media, communicating the information they collect goes beyond a midday newscast.

“When my mom and dad would be getting us ready in the morning, they just threw the morning news on and said ‘hey, watch the morning weather to figure out how to dress for the day,’” Clemons said. “That’s what I did. Kids nowadays don’t necessarily do that — they look at apps.”

Because of this, Clemons frequently uses social media to provide another point of connection with her audience. She is very active on her Facebook page, providing updates on conditions around Connecticut. Clemons said she frequently gets messages from people when a made-up forecast calling for outlandish weather circulates online. Her presence on social media helps alleviate some of that.

The most important part of the expanded reach provided by social media ties back to what got Clemons into meteorology in the first place — severe weather. In a world of expanding media, local news stations are still the best source of immediate, accurate weather information when a severe storm occurs.

Wild weather is a part of life. But behind it all, Clemons is there forecasting, presenting on air, reaching people online, and being a Critical and Creative Thinker.

There is a quiet, unassuming building on the eastern edge of the Delmar Loop. It’s only two stories, but on the front is emblazoned the name of an honored military branch— Marines.

Staff Sergeant Marc Cox has his recruiting office inside, doing something he considers a crowning achievement in life — helping people just like his younger self find a path forward. The location is conducive to it too — his office is at what he lovingly calls “the middle” of St. Louis, where many of the region’s groups tend to collide geographically.

SSgt Cox is a St. Louis native, a Bayless graduate, and he’s been a collaborative communicator his whole life.
SSgt Cox grew up in North St. Louis, near Natural Bridge Avenue and Kingshighway. In fourth grade he came to Bayless through the VICC Program and stayed there until he graduated. He speaks fondly of the experiences he had at Bayless, and says coming back to his alma mater is one of his favorite parts of being in charge of the recruiting station here.

SSgt Cox graduated from Bayless in 2004. He looked to join the military in 2009 after completing some undergraduate work. Being in the armed forces was not his initial plan, but he did have a desire to serve his neighbors.

“Service to the country was always something that was in my mind,” Cox said. “It might not have been in the military, per se. It could’ve been in the medical field, even in the religious field. My grandfather was a bishop when he passed, my grandmother is a pastor. I kind of thought for awhile that would be the route I took.”

Several conversations with his family, who all suggested he would fit in a military environment, began to push him in that direction. It was then a process of choosing which one.

“I looked at the four major branches, and the Marine Corps didn’t stick out to me,” Cox said. “You hear about the others all the time.”

But during his search, the other branches got crossed off the list. For Cox, the Army felt too large, the Navy had longer deployment cycles, and the Air Force was for brainiacs (something Cox now admits is true of members all branches, but he didn’t quite catch that at the time). He intentionally left the Marines for last.

“(I said to the recruiter that) I’ve always heard that you guys are just, hardworking, you guys go in first, you leave last, you guys are straight edge and the most dangerous person in the room,” Cox said. “Then the recruiter said ‘well what if people stop saying that about just us and start saying it about you?’”

That sealed his choice — he was going to be a Marine. In July of 2009, he had been waiting for a contract to come up, and got a call from a recruiter on a Tuesday. There was a spot open as an aviation mechanic, but he had to leave Thursday.

He packed up his apartment in two days and got on a plane to San Diego. Recruit training began shortly after.
“It’s 13 weeks, which is the longest in the Department of Defense,” Cox said.

After 13 weeks of recruit training, he was officially a Marine, but still had another month of combat training, which covered many of the weapons the Marines use in combat situations. Then he spent another year of training on the east coast learning to work on aircraft and eventually got stationed in San Diego.

During his early years, Cox also set off on an international deployment. He was sent to Japan, where he and his fellow Marines had to act as informal “Ambassadors to the World.” Since service members are one of the main ways Japanese citizens interact with Americans, Cox had to understand the culture and communication barriers that might exist in that context.

“It’s really about knowing what the American culture is, positive or negative, and how others view us,” Cox said. “As a Marine — holding true to everything that is just and right. While you’re there, it’s a full on respect, and an exploratory mindset and being willing to try new things. You have to respect the people and their place — because it’s theirs.

“There’s a historic aspect to being over there as well,” Cox said. “We fought each other in a war. During my time I’ve been to Pearl Harbor, where that war started, and to Hiroshima, where the war ended.”

Cox had several jobs after his time in Japan, building a diverse skillset he credits the Corps for providing. He worked his way through the ranks, eventually being promoted to the Staff Non-Commissioned Officer rank of Staff Sergeant.

“Marines have the unique opportunity of being really good at a lot of stuff,” Cox said. “One hat I wear now is station commander for St. Louis. Before that it was quality assurance for a division of Marines in aviation.”

Between Ospreys, Hueys, rotary and others, he oversaw many different aircraft. This is where being a collaborative communicator is truly important.

“Relying on the thinking heads around me,” Cox said. “There’s Marines that have been through this before me, seen it done a million times — why not reach out to them? Then being able to translate and teach that to a new generation. And sometimes (younger Marines) have different approaches than I might, and that approach is the missing piece.”
That willingness to collaborate is an important example for not only the Marines under his command, but anyone looking to succeed in life.

Collaborative Communication, paired with one other thing Cox finds vital in the recruits he speaks to, will take people far.

“Consistency,” Cox said. “You might not get it right, but never stop shooting. One foot in front of the other, if you keep on that path you’ll be alright. That will help you — not just here in the Marine Corps — but in any profession.”