Published by Karli Henning on Fri, Jan 26, 2018
This Friday’s Student Feature is Kelly Erdmann! Kelly is from Detroit, Michigan and is a currently a senior at Western Michigan University. She is double majoring in Aviation Flight Science and Aviation Management and Operations with a minor in Business. Kelly decided to attend WMU because of how exceptional the flight program is. Also, it is not too far from her home in Detroit.
Besides aviation, Kelly loves hiking, backpacking, and kayaking. She loves basically anything outdoors and usually spends a few weeks over the summer going on solo hiking trips to push herself to the limit.
Kelly is heavily involved in the College of Aviation. She is a senator in the Western Student Association for Women in Aviation. Additionally, she is the secretary for Alpha Eta Rho and serves as the College of Aviation Representative for the Sustainability Grant Allocations Committee. Kelly is also on the Aviation Safety Committee as a student representative. She is the 2018 Fly-In coordinator and works part-time at the airport as a flight scheduler.
When asked about her favorite memory at the College of Aviation so far, Kelly says that going on her first team ride was a fun and different experience because she was flying with someone other than an instructor.
Kelly’s advice for students beginning their education in aviation is to be active in an organization. She states, “You’ll not only make many great connections, but it will help you build up leadership and communication skills that are incredibly valuable in our industry.”
After graduating, Kelly hopes to move out West and do some canyon and mountain flying. She says she could see herself moving to Anchorage, Alaska to work for Alaska Airlines.