Read more stories about our esteemed alumni!
Where Aviation Meets Ambition: A Career That Has Taken Reina Cooke Global
When you cast your career lot with the aviation industry, one can expect to fill out a passport or two. But in Reina Cooke's wildest dreams growing up near Detroit in an international-oriented family, she probably never imagined visiting all of the planet's continents -- and we mean all of them…
Behind the Boarding Gate: Brady Wilson’s Impact on Aviation Management
Brady Wilson is the poster child for what a college education is all about and how it can catapult one's career and life. On a spring Saturday in 2022, he walked across the Miller Auditorium stage to receive his degree in airport management and operations, and on Monday he was in the employ of…
From Army Skies to Life-Saving Flights: The Journey of Brian Vanderberg
Ever watch one of those emergency helicopters sit down at a hospital complex and wonder who the pilot is? Well, one of those "who's" is Brian Vanderberg, a 1991 graduate of WMU's aviation program, and he's been at those controls for almost a quarter of a century. A Kalamazoo…
Celebrating Legends: 2025 Hall of Honor & Diversity Award Recipients
Wings of Resolve: The Air Force Journey of WMU Aviation Bronco Tracy Smiedendorf
During a 27-year career in the Air Force, Tracy Smiedendorf logged more than his share of vivid memories. In all, from 1985 to 2012, Smiedendorf wore his Air Force uniform at 13 bases, including other overseas deployments to Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. More often than…
Bronco in the Sky: How WMU Took This Pilot from Jackson to Jet Set
Nothing like flying the friendly skies of the WMU College of Aviation. Recently, Tom Thinnes, the College's director of recruitment, outreach and marketing, was booked on a short flight from Detroit to Kalamazoo when the captain's voice came over the intercom. It can't be him, Thinnes wondered…
Wrenches and Wings: Morgan Boyd’s Mission to Keep Aviation Soaring
Inside Morgan Boyd beats the heart and soul of a true mechanic. Read her words: "I have found that there is nothing more thrilling than watching an aircraft, which you helped tear apart, inspect, fix and then reassemble, again take off from the runway and fly home."
The Hagan Hangar: A Family’s Legacy Takes Wing at Western Michigan University
It's not quite the Hagan College of Aviation at Western Michigan University, but it's getting close. That's because three of the Hagan siblings out of Flat Rock, Mich., have -- or will soon have -- connections to Western's highly respected aviation program: older brother Justin, who is now in…
Altitude Adjustment: How Life’s Turbulence Made This Delta Captain Soar
Despite the hurdles and challenges that come your way, never lose sight of your goals and objectives. John Geeting, a 2001 graduate of the WMU College of Aviation and an airline pilot for two decades, exemplifies that philosophy because he has faced that career dilemma at least three times. …
From Success at Southwest to Directing Denver International Airport: Dave LaPorte’s Aviation Operations Pathway
Dave LaPorte is the poster child for the adage that it always seems darkest before the dawn. Now, the man responsible for keeping Denver's international airport operating at peak efficiency, the WMU alumnus actually has two "darkest" on his resume. The native Michigander was serving in a management…
From Lake Michigan to the Skies: The Journey of Two WMU Aviation Alumni Soaring with Delta
They came from opposite sides of Lake Michigan. Their bond was forged in the welcoming and caring environment of the Western Michigan University College of Aviation. They team-taught a theory course for the college. Their degrees in aviation flight science are both time-stamped 2019…
From Taipei to the Skies: The Inspiring Journey of SkyWest Captain Po Hsien 'Johnny' Chen
The WMU College of Aviation attracts students from around the globe -- meet Po Hsien "Johnny" Chen, whose roots are in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, and who ended up in Southwest Michigan by way of the northern Indiana community of Elkhart. Now with captain status for SkyWest…
Gaining his Western Wings and Finding His Way to FedEx, Jason Woo’s in Full Control of His Aviation Career
As a flight instructor in Korea, Jason Woo could have shared the skies with a plane bearing an insignia of a country that doesn't share his views and perspectives. The same could be said about him these days as part of his current duties piloting European routes for FedEx while based in Germany…
The American Dream: Matt Taylor Ascends Through the Airline Operations World
Want a short story about a dynamic career and how the WMU College of Aviation made it all possible? Let's check out Matt Taylor, a 2010 Western graduate with a degree in flight science. It all started shortly after he launched his days as a Bronco in 2007 when he began working at the Kalamazoo…
From Airport Intern to Airport Operations – Karlee Erickson’s Manages Aviation Opportunities
In golf, the best advice for putting is "never up, never in" -- meaning you have to putt the ball past the hole to ever sink it. It's kind of the same for Karlee Erickson and her career path. A spring 2023 graduate of the WMU College of Aviation and initially believing that it would probably be…
From Geology to Aviation Business – William Walles Crafts a Career with United Airlines
William Walles, a 2019 alumnus of the College of Aviation, is living proof that switching majors is not a step that could be in the wrong direction for a student. He came to the Western Michigan campus in Kalamazoo as a geology major until frank chats with peers enrolled in the university's…
Aviation the Apogee Way: Pascal Paffhausen and Austin Harper are the Dynamic Duo
Many a Bronco aviator, with WMU diploma still fresh in hand, takes the career path to Apogee Air based at Oakland International Airport near Detroit. Two of the latest to trade in their Brown and Gold for Apogee colors are Austin Harper and Pascal Paffhausen.
Take Offs and Touchdowns with Alex Toger – Flying High as a College of Aviation Alumni and Current Endeavor Air Pilot
Alex Toger is the epitome of "Once a WMU College of Aviation ambassador, always one," even though the higher-education chapter of his life is years in the rear-view mirror. Being one of the program's "welcomers" and "introducers," the December 2017 recipient of a degree in …
Riding High with Adam Rice
As a December 2018 graduate of the WMU College of Aviation, Adam Rice has been a busy individual. Leveraging his time at the University, he added to his resume, took advantage of opportunities, and made the most with his time at WMU. All of which has led to his current position as a First Officer…
Winning with Warner: Scott's Aviation Management Maturation
While a number of people think aviation runs on jet fuel, most know the management of assets is what keeps the birds in the sky. Growing up in Saint Clair Shores, Michigan, Warner was your typical kid. With one difference, “Ever since I can remember, transportation fascinated me,” he said…
WMU Aviation Excellence in Diversity Award Winner - Albert Glenn
Excellence in Diversity award - Captain Albert Glenn. The award recognizes individuals or organizations who have demonstrated a significant impact on helping to increase diversity in the field of aviation.
