KBTX’s MAX CRAWFORD THANKS BLINN FOR CAREER PATH

  

Blinn College alumnus and meteorologist Max Crawford can’t tell viewers they’ll see relief from the scorching Texas heat, but he can tell them it’s almost hot enough to bake cookies in the car.

Crawford, PinPoint Meteorologist with KBTX News 3, recently placed a baking sheet of chocolate chip cookie dough on the dash of his car, and five hours later he had a dozen cookies. Sort of.

 “It was a unanimous ‘not terrible’ among the staff who were brave enough to taste them in the newsroom,” he told viewers on KBTX’s Facebook page. “The bottom line: it gets very hot very quickly in vehicles. Get in the habit of always checking the backseat before you leave!”

The job is not all baking cookies, though. It’s a passion Crawford has chased since boyhood and honed on a college journey that didn’t begin quite like he expected.

Crawford grew up in Flower Mound and was petrified of thunderstorms, so much that he constantly checked the forecast to be sure it wouldn’t rain. That fear eventually sparked curiosity, then enthusiasm for atmospheric science.

Crawford applied to Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma and Texas A&M University to study meteorology. He was accepted to both Oklahoma schools, but was put on a wait list at Texas A&M. Just before he walked the stage at his high school graduation, he was offered a chance to enroll in the Texas A&M Blinn Transfer Enrollment at A&M (TEAM) Program.

“I am so glad I chose Blinn TEAM because it turned out to be a great long-term decision,” Crawford said. “Blinn saved me money and helped me transition to college life with small class sizes and amazing instructors.”

The first co-enrollment program of its kind between a major university and a community college, the TEAM Program allows students to enroll at both schools with part-time admission to Texas A&M. It is offered only to qualifying students during the Texas A&M freshman admissions process. Participants are enrolled in one academic course at Texas A&M each semester and complete the remainder of their courses at the Blinn – Bryan campus. Students who complete 45 Blinn credit hours and 15 Texas A&M credit hours within two years with a 3.0 grade point average at each school are automatically admitted to Texas A&M.

Students enrolled in 15 semester credit hours in the TEAM program save as much as $1,500 compared to students enrolled in 15 credit hours at Texas A&M.

“The best thing about Blinn TEAM is you have all the benefits of both schools,” Crawford said. “I enjoyed the smaller classes and feeling like I could get to know my instructors. At the same time, I was able to get the full university experience at Texas A&M.”

On his first college exam, a calculus test, Crawford eked out a D—the first D in his 18 years. Crawford said he’s grateful for his calculus instructor, Lidia Smith, who taught him to study and succeed in college. By the end of the semester, he earned an A in the course.

“I had this misconception that Blinn was going to be easier,” he said. “Blinn is a place where I always felt my education was not something to be taken lightly. Each of my instructors cared about my success.”

Crawford landed an internship with KBTX in the summer of 2012. Upon graduating from Texas A&M in December 2013, he was offered a weekend meteorologist position at an NBC station in Midland. When Crawford saw an opening at KBTX, he jumped at the opportunity to move back to Bryan-College Station. He accepted the job and in June began forecasting the weather to area viewers weekdays at noon and 4 p.m.

“Without Blinn TEAM, I wouldn’t be a meteorologist today,” he said.  Story courtesy of Blinn College.