The Week Junior - USA (2021-11-12)

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November 12, 2021 •The Week Junior 9

First in space fl ight

S

ian Proctor became the fi rst Black woman to

pilot a spacecraft when SpaceX’s Inspiration

mission blasted into space on September 15. She

stayed in orbit for three days. Proctor is a licensed

pilot and geoscientist (scientist who studies the

sciences related to Earth). She grew up wanting to

be an astronaut but just missed getting chosen to

be one by NASA, the US space agency. Space travel

is in Proctor’s family. Her father worked on NASA’s

Apollo missions that fi rst put astronauts on the

Moon. She told National Geographic that space

fl ight taught her “don’t give up on a dream.”

Singer fights hunger

C

hart-topping Canadian singer the Weeknd, age

31, is taking on a new role as goodwill

ambassador for the United Nations World Food

Program (WFP). (The United Nations, or UN, is a

group of 193 nations working for peace and

cooperation.) The WFP works to fi ght global

hunger. Recently, the Weeknd donated $1 million

to the WFP’s relief eff orts in Ethiopia, the nation

where his parents lived before immigrating to

Canada. “I feel passionately about addressing

world hunger and helping people in need,” he said.

COURTESY OF RANDOM HOUSE; GETTY IMAGES (3); CHESTER HIGGINS JR./THE NEW YO RK TIMES/REDUX

Sian

Proctor

The

Weeknd

D

ylan Dreyer grew up looking at the sky,

wondering what the clouds were doing.

Now the Today show co-host and

meteorologist (scientist who studies the

weather) gets to share her passion for

weather with the world. Dreyer

also appears on The Weather

Channel and the NBC Nightly

News and hosts Earth Odyssey

with Dylan Dreyer.

Dreyer’s love of the

weather started during her

childhood. “I remember sitting

on the front porch with my

brothers watching the thunderstorms roll

in,” she told The Week Junior.

After getting a degree in meteorology at

Rutgers University and a summer internship

with WCBS in New York City, Dreyer set her

sights on TV. “Before my internship, I never

dreamed of being on TV,” she said. “I

thought I’d go behind the scenes.”

As a meteorologist, Dreyer has gotten

to chase all types of weather, including

what she says is the most fascinating kind

to her—hurricanes. “Hurricanes are such a

wild weather phenomenon,” she said. “I

love having the inside knowledge

to warn people. It’s why we do

what we do.” Dreyer is now also

turning her extensive knowledge

of the weather into a picture

book series for younger readers

about coping with diff erent

emotions. The fi rst book, Misty

the Cloud: A Very Stormy Day, tells

the story of a little cloud with big feelings.

Dreyer has had some great mentors in

her career, including fellow meteorologists

Craig Allen and Al Roker. Of all the

guidance she’s received, one piece of

advice stands out. “One of the most

signifi cant things I’ve learned is how

important it is to be yourself,” she said.

Dylan Dreyer turned her passion for the weather into a career in TV.

Walking on sunshine

Dylan

Dreyer

OVERHEARD

“There is something special

about knowing that your

stories can alter the way

people see the world and

their place within it.”

Illustrator Jerry Pinkney, a legend in children’s

publishing, who died on October 20 at age 81.

Among the many awards he received was a

Caldecott medal for his 2010 picture book The Lion

and the Mouse and a lifetime achievement award

from the Society of Illustrators.

Dreyer’s

new book

FUN FACT

Before 1978, female

names were used to name

storms. Since then, both male

and female names have been used.