Fall Brings New Directions, Bittersweet Moments for CJP Scholars

This year has been a busy and exciting time for several of the recipients of scholarships awarded through CJP, and there’s little sign of that changing even as Fall takes hold and 2021 begins to wind down.

Shaddi Abdala: 2021 CJP Bob Hoover Presidential Scholarship – ERAU Daytona

School is back in session and I have an exciting semester ahead of me. I am returning to campus from a successful summer as a Hub and Gateway Operations Intern for American Airlines. The rich experience allowed me to be immersed in the airport operations at Miami International Airport and provided valuable learning experiences. Now more than ever I am motivated to learn and continue finding opportunities that allow me to explore the many careers and areas within aviation. This semester I am enrolled in the Senior Capstone Course for Aeronautical Science and the purpose of this class is to understand the options available within the aviation industry. My interest in this class has led to coordinating with my professor to complete some research on Diversity and Inclusion efforts to grow the industry. This is a topic that I have come to be really passionate about through my involvement in Women in Aviation and Latino Pilots in Aviation. I now hold the position of Director of Diversity and Inclusion within the University’s Student Government Association (SGA). As the first individual to hold this position, this semester I am working hard to connect students with the valuable resources available to find opportunities in a diverse and inclusive space within our own campus and in future workplaces.

Being back on campus also means being back to flying! It’s an amazing feeling getting back into a cockpit after being away. I am also back at the College of Aviation’s tutoring center and am part of the team that is helping run some of the new training simulators for private pilot students. It is exciting to see the emerging technology that is being applied to the training of future pilots. Equally exciting is the opportunity I am working towards through my Aircraft Dispatch Operations course that I am enrolled in this semester. At the conclusion of this course, I will have the opportunity to take the written and practical to obtain my Aircraft Dispatcher’s certificate. These past few weeks alone have been full of learning new information. It will certainly be an exciting semester through my involvement in on-campus organizations and my commitment to my courses!

Shane Drury: 2021 CJP Bob Hoover Presidential Scholarship – ERAU Daytona

I am now well into my last semester of college, and it is definitely a bittersweet moment for me. Naturally, I am very exciting to finally be graduating and finishing my bachelor’s degree, but time has gone by quick and it’s difficult for me to realize that the time of my college years are finally coming to an end. It feels like just yesterday I was moving into my dorm for the first time in 2018. With that being said, I am even more excited for what the future holds and to begin my professional aviation career as I know the best is yet to come.

[This semester] is my heaviest yet – I’m taking 18 credit hours so I can finish this fall. With that being said, time management for me will be my biggest challenge this semester. With having to balance a high-class load, working part-time, flight training, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle outside of class and work will be no easy feat. To ensure I manage my time in the most efficient way possible, I make sure to create a weekly schedule of everything I need to do and when. This method has so far proved useful in managing my heavy semester. With these six classes being my last, they are crucial and great classes to be taking right before beginning my career as a professional pilot. With classes such as Flight Technique Analysis discussing the transition and differences between flying piston aircraft and jet aircraft, and Crew Resource Management, which is at the heart of modern aviation, I will be very prepared to enter a robust aviation industry.

With my Commercial Pilot’s License now in hand I am on track to begin my multi-engine training soon. I am just waiting on some administrative work to go through to begin my training. Once I begin training, I expect to be finished very soon, where I will then proceed to get my CFI and begin instructing. Some other good news on the aviation front, which is also a good indicator of the industry getting back to normal, is that I heard from the Envoy Cadet Program I am a part of. They are finally resuming operations and offering ample opportunities for new hire pilots. Let’s hope the industry stays on this continuing incline.

Some other good news that I am excited about is the CJP National Convention coming up soon in October. It brings me with great excitement, assuming all goes well on the COVID front, that I will be able to attend this year’s convention. With COVID having halted all other CJP events for us, I am very exciting to be able to participate in a CJP event this year! This is a great opportunity that I am looking forward to, and I am very exciting to be meeting the members that make this life changing scholarship possible. I am looking forward to the chance of meeting and getting to know many of you in person, so I hope to see you all there!

Caitlin Fuelling: 2020 CJP Bob Hoover Presidential Scholar – ERAU Prescott

I graduated with a degree in aeronautical science and most recently acquired my commercial multi engine license. Since graduation I have returned home and have been looking into future job opportunities while also working at my family business.

I have a number of new opportunities in the works including a helicopter touring job where I am now in South Dakota. This would include giving tours over Mount Rushmore and the surrounding areas. To pursue this opportunity, I will work to get my helicopter add on and have been reaching out to a number of flight schools regarding this. While working towards this new and unfamiliar rating I have also had to opportunity to appear, for a second time, on Vince Mickens “All things Aviation and Aerospace” discussion. This provided me great insight, especially on the military, from Tammie Jo Shults, and two other aspiring aviation professionals.

Along with these great opportunities I have recently applied for the Delta Propel program through Embry-Riddle. This program selects individuals for an accelerated path to Delta Airlines. If I get selected, I will pursue the military/guard track to build time before finally going to the airlines. I am confident and hopeful in this program and think it would be a good fit for the goals I am trying to achieve. Thank you to everyone following and helping me with my journey through the aviation world. Many of the opportunities I have received are a direct result of the Citation Jet Pilot Association, so again thank you all for everything.

Susan Schmidt: 2021 Tracy S. Forrest Memorial Flight Training Scholarship – ERAU Daytona

This last month I passed the Standards New Hire process and was officially hired on as a full-time flight instructor at Embry Riddle. Right away, I got 6 students, all working on their instrument rating. I have really enjoyed instructing so far. Some of my students are brand new to Riddle, so they came in with their private pilot license like I did when I got here. It has been great introducing Riddle to them and teaching them the world of the instrument rating.

On top of that, I am taking two classes this semester. My plan has changed since getting hired. Now I plan to graduate in the summer, but the hope is I will be close to having all my hours by then. In the meantime, the annual Career Expo at ERAU is coming up. A lot of the airlines are opening their candidate programs again. I plan to start applying and interviewing for them in the next couple months.