Amalia is a senior at Purdue University in South Bend, Indiana majoring in aviation management. Her scholarship application provided UAHF with insights into her background and goals.
Amalia told UAHF “I attended a very small private high school in South Bend called Trinity School at Greenlawn. I chose Purdue because the Aviation Management program had small class sizes, something I think is very important in the transfer of knowledge. I have very much enjoyed my education here at Purdue and I have been fortunate to be part of a department that cares about its students and encourages research in the field.
As a senior, I have been very busy with some exciting projects. Most of my time has been spent doing research for the FAA Noise Coe research project. Research allows for me to be able to put all of the theory I learn to practice. My team and I have been busy studying three major airports, Sanford-Orlando International, Denver International and Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International. This project has become very rewarding for me and will have a significant impact on how to view noise complaint problems for the future.
I am the team leader for the Denver project and we are trying to understand how there could be such a problem with noise complaints when the airport is surrounded by 52 square miles of land. The project addresses issues of why it is that the public complains, how and why airports are encroached upon, including why developers are allowed to develop in a noise impacted area, what airplane noises are more irritating and why and where there are more issues evolving each and every day.
I am also the Vice President of Purdue’s Chapter of AAAE. We have been planning trips to various airports and also hope to be able to have some great speakers this semester on various aviation topics and issues.
I look forward to my graduation in May when I will either pursue a graduate degree in aviation management or aviation marketing or I will embark upon my journey as a professional in the aviation industry. My long term goal is to take whatever knowledge and experience that I will accumulate over the years and use it to do research and consulting in order to make the industry more stable.
John Tockston
John is a junior at the University of South Dakota (UND) at Grand Fork.
John wrote UAHF the following note in appreciation of receiving the scholarship award.
“I would like to extend my thanks to all of you for presenting me with the Captain William S. Arnott Scholarship. This scholarship will aid me in my pursuit of a career as an international airline pilot. It is wonderful that you are helping young people realize their dreams in the aviation industry. I am honored to receive this scholarship and look forward to returning to the University of North Dakota in the fall to continue my flight training. Thank you again!”
In January 2005, John wrote, “Right now I am transitioning into my multi-engine course in which I will be flying the Piper Seminole – I am really looking forward to it. Last semester went very well. The commercial course was very concise, yet I was able to fine tune some skills and work on my smoothness and accuracy! Currently, I plan on staying the summer here at UND and take the Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) course. Another option would be to find an internship for the summer involving flight operations. Talk to you soon.”
