Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight: Meteorologist Isha Renta

With the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month this week, we are highlighting NOAA Meteorologist Isha Renta. Born in Puerto Rico, Isha became fascinated with meteorology at the age of eight, when Category 5 Hurricane Hugo caused widespread damage to the island. "I remember asking myself, at such a young age, what I could do to help my people and reduce the damage," Renta told a NSWC reporter.

Isha went on to graduate with a Master’s Degree in Atmospheric Science from Howard University, and currently works for NOAA in the Washington, D.C. metro area. “I really enjoy supporting people outside of the office with information by briefing the public, emergency managers, decision makers, other government offices, and the media about the weather and how it is going to impact them,” Isha says in her weather.gov profile. “That is when I see how valuable our job is and that many people depend on and trust our work.”

In 2014, Isha founded Semilla Cultural, a non-profit organization that cultivates and preserves Puerto Rican cultural arts through classes, workshops and performances. "I'm a very strong advocate of STEM and a very strong advocate of arts…when they go together, you get magic."