Aviation Management and Operations Alumnus Mitchell Carr Cruising in His Career

In all likelihood, College of Aviation alumnus Mitchell Carr probably possesses little -- if any -- awareness of basketball coach Jim Valvano. 
 
In the 1983 NCAA championship game, Valvano's North Carolina State Wolfpack team upset -- with a last-second shot -- the Houston Cougars squad that had already achieved being a legend in its own time. 
 
Stricken by a terminal case of cancer a decade later, Valvano, in a nationally televised speech, established the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research with this motto -- "Don't give up, don't ever give up." 
 
Those words have been Carr's marching orders during his aviation career that got a boost when the Chicago native enrolled at Western Michigan University following his graduation from high school in 2013. 

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"If you want to do something in life," says Carr, "go for it because, in life, you can only stop yourself.  Some of the biggest critics, who will make you double-think or don't want you to move up in life, can be family or friends.  I guarantee, when you take that factor out and do what's best for your mind, soul, and career, things will work out and you will thank yourself for taking the leap of faith." 
 
Even when facing discouraging times, advises Carr, who earned his degree in aviation management and operations in the spring of 2020, and when wondering whether "it was worth it," that is all part of the process and that "your time is coming."  Carr says he tells prospective aviators to "just believe in yourself and that light at the end of the tunnel will shine when the time is right.  Just keep going."  Carr believes words from renowned Virginia preacher Bishop T. D. Jakes backs him up:  "One of the tests of greatness is your ability to survive frustration." 

Carr recalls that traveling wasn't a major part of family life for him growing up, but his one experience was life-altering.  "I remember staring out the windows of that airport waiting for my flight.  When getting on board, I walked past the cockpit and saw all those buttons.  It was love at first sight."  That set the stage for envisioning a career path and was the genesis of his love of traveling "to see this beautiful world." 
 
Because WMU is home to one of the top aviation programs in "this beautiful world," Chicagoan Carr arranged to check it out as he pondered higher education.  "I came for a tour, saw the campus, and experienced a welcoming staff.  This is where I wanted to be." 
 
To help make ends meet, Carr worked in Western's Valley 2 cafe where he says he made life-long friends and met "beautiful people from all parts of life and the world."  And it wasn't just serving hamburgers or tuna casserole.  "My co-workers used to play music through the speakers and have fun dancing and singing along with the students -- and eat stir fry." 
 
Over the same period of time, Carr was part of the college's line-service team.  "I got the opportunity to tug and pull aircraft," he says, "fuel them, and help with the maintenance and upkeep of the airport."  In that capacity, Carr was not a raw rookie.  Prior to Western, he served as an air-traffic intern for the Federal Aviation Administration at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, which gave him some real-world experience with professionals in that field. 

Away from the time clock for his jobs and the classroom, Carr was active in Western's chapters of the Organization for Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) and Phi Chi Theta, a co-ed professional fraternity for business and economics practitioners.  Both provide networking opportunities, open doors for interviews for employment possibilities, offer training to build confidence and instill traits that put a person's best foot forward, and -- just as important -- give something back to those who will be following in your footsteps. 
 
"To this day," Carr says, "both organizations try to make sure I have all the pieces needed to be successful through my aviation career, but more importantly to give back to the community and the generations coming behind me."  He's certain he will cross paths with young adults who wear the "same shoes" as he has.  By that, he means those who need a bit of help, who need to learn things to better themselves; those who are facing struggles, "the ups and downs with classes," and feeling defeated because the breaking point seems to be right in front of them.  He's been there and he's come back from the abyss. 
 
Helping mold Carr into the professional that he is today, he says, are College of Aviation personnel such as Norm Risk, Aleks Copeland, Willem Homan, Jim Whittles, Gail Rouscher, Sharon Van Dyken, Rusty Winston, LaTonja Wilson, Scott Austin, Jonathan Dennis, Leah Hose, Tracey Kauppila, Tom Thinnes and many others.  All, Carr says, have caring, welcoming attitudes.   

"Tracey will fight for any student and make sure they are OK," he says.  "Tom always has the students' backs through thick and thin. I have great memories from OBAP conventions because of him.  But everyone at the college was amazing.  With their push, help outside of class, and their motivation, I am where I am today -- and where I want to be in the future." 
 
Along with Western's unbeaten football season that led to a Cotton Bowl game and Carr's first time piloting a plane, another favorite memory is his senior-year class in airport management.  "What a great experience -- running your own airport," he says.  "It was amazing.  Our team finished in the top three for 'most profitable airline.'" 
 
That came in handy when his first post-graduation job was as a cargo loader for UPS in Texas at the airport serving the Dallas-Forth Worth region.  Currently, Carr is a flight attendant for Frontier Airlines, which is based in Denver, Colo., and has 3,000-plus employees serving flights to more than 100 United States destinations and another 30 to Caribbean, Mexican and Central American ports.  He views these as stepping stones to his ultimate goal. 
 
"The biggest thing I have learned from all these jobs," he says, "is that you have to continue to strive.  Don't settle for your current situation.  Nothing is permanent.  All of these experiences have made me realize that I wanted more for myself.  I must stand tall and work day and night until I achieve my dream.  I just have to mold myself and my experiences until I make it." 

Not even the college's relevant, realistic and practical courses prepared Carr -- much less anybody -- for what he faced almost immediately after the ink dried on his Western diploma -- Covid 19 and the economic strangulation it caused.  It wasn't personal, but companies were not in a position to hire personnel.  "Outside of a piece of paper (his diploma), I was not given the chance to show what I had to offer or who I am," Carr says.  "That can be depressing because you feel like you have done everything you can, but you just keep hitting brick walls." 
 
It might not have been the philosophy of Jim Valvano that Carr fell back on -- more likely the advice of Bishop Jakes.   
 
"Things are changing and more opportunities seem to be opening up so we will see what the world has to offer in the aviation industry," he says. 
 
Which is why, sometime in the future, just after you have taken off on that holiday flight to a Caribbean paradise, the intercom goes on and you hear these words:  "This is your captain, Mitchell Carr.  We have clear skies ahead and should be landing in about six hours.  Meanwhile, enjoy your flight and thanks for flying Have-A-Dream Airlines."