It’s my first time in the San Luis Valley and I know it won’t be my last. There is a spectacular view in almost any direction you look, the Great Sand Dunes and 14,000 foot peaks spaced around the valley make for a beautiful sunrise and sunset. The hot dry climate might scare some away, but with water and sun protection any day is a great day. Having been an intern at the NOAA David Skaggs Research Center in Boulder, CO I was invited to attend the 2018 Flight Week in Alamosa and experience the aviation side of weather studies. Most of my previous experience with NOAA has included an introduction to data science. This involved creating data plots, updating Arctic observatory datasets, writing scripts to secure data from the dataset, and much more MATLAB fun. Officially, I became involved with NOAA through my high school’s internship program junior year and have graduation this year. I’ll be attending CU Boulder across the street from the David Skaggs this year and hope to remain connected with NOAA and the weather research community. This summer, my internship has introduced me to ISARRA and Flight Week, held in the San Luis Valley in Colorado. ISARRA is a society of scientist with missions in atmospheric research with drones. This year, ISARRA is coordinating Flight Week, a week long program to support the scientist using drone technology to better understand the environment. During Flight Week, I will be exposing myself to the different aspects of meteorological data collection, UAV piloting, weather balloon launches, and more. It is a wonderful privilege to do science in one of the most diverse and beautiful scenery of Colorado. Stay tuned for more about Flight Week!