Episode 27: Sandhya Patel
“I’m living my dream. I knew that I would get here one day, I just didn’t know when. I was determined to continue to work hard as I needed to prove myself.”
"Work hard."
Sandhya Patel, Meteorologist for ABC7 News, on building a career in the field of broadcasting and media.
Sandhya Patel broke into one of the toughest industries as a minority woman. Twenty-four years ago, when a television viewer tuned into any news channel to get the weather report, the viewer often saw a Caucasian male covering the weather news. Sandhya Patel changed the face of meteorology as she broke barriers with hard work, perseverance and grit to be where she is today.
Today, the Asian community still struggles for representation in the media, whether it’s in television or Hollywood. Sandhya proved that it can be done by paving the way as one of the first South Asian pioneers in the industry.
Podcast Details
Find out from the podcast how Sandhya:
- Spent two years in India on her own as an adolescent girl in order to learn the language and culture
- Got her AHA moment to go into broadcasting news
- Pivoted from covering the news to doing weather based on a suggestion from a mentor
- Found her passion in meteorology, made mistakes along the way and learned her craft while working full time
- Worked two jobs for six days a week on opposite schedules in different cities at one point in her career
- Got her work ethic from her father and her energy from her mother
- Gives advice for reducing anxiety in public speaking
- Lives by the motto of competence before confidence
- Learned to adopt and adapt to changing technology in the industry
“I attribute a big part of my success to my father”. -Sandhya Patel
About Sandhya
Sandhya Patel is a meteorologist for the ABC7 weather department. Sandhya’s journey in news started in 1993. She is the weekday weather anchor for ABC7 News at 5 and 11 pm.
She is a mom to three kids (including a set of twins). She enjoys painting, cooking, biking and watching the sky for the next weather event.
You can follow Sandhya at Twitter and Facebook.