Getting Airborne with WMU Aviation Student Adaora Osolu
Luis Jaime Takes the Aviation Camp to a Future Aviation Technical Operations Career
Marching with Mardoian – Dylan Sets His Sights on the Sky
A senior double-majoring in aviation flight science and aviation management/operations, Mardoian is not the first Bronco aviator who makes music up in the sky and on the performance field as well. "I did not want to be just someone twiddling their thumbs throughout my college years," he says. "I wanted to make a difference. I had been part of a marching band since my years in junior high. I didn't want to stop doing what I loved. So, I didn't at Western. As a drill instructor, I'm part of the leadership team for the trumpet section in the Bronco Marching Band."
The Dispatching Dynamo – Emma Anderson Flies Forward at WMU
A person's first flight can be an eye-opening, perspective-shifting and career-focusing experience. It was for WMU College of Aviation junior Emma Anderson, and hers was even more of a milestone. She took off and landed on . . . water. Raised in Sparta, Mich., something of a bedroom community for Grand Rapids to the south, Anderson was 16 at the time and on her way to becoming a 2018 graduate of Sparta High School
Dominic Nicolai – Aviation Dynamo and WMU Faculty Member
Dominic Nicolai has rubbed elbows -- and wings -- with some of the giants of the WMU College of Aviation in his 28 years as an instructor. A flight instructor since his 1993 graduation from the WMU program, he has these achievements on his resume -- named FAA Flight Instructor of the Year for the Grand Rapids area in 1996 and garnering master-instructor status in 2008 from the National Association of Flight Instructors.
Getting Underway and Unlocking Aviation Opportunity with Zach Orfin
As a sailor, Zach Orfin mastered his way through and on top of the water. As a College of Aviation student, he's soared amidst the clouds far above the solid ground. There appears to be a third medium in his future -- space, the Final Frontier, in the words of Capt. James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise.
Propelling His Sights Forward: Brendan Slusser Benefits from the WMU Aviation Program
"Western was in that perfect spot for me," he says. "It's just far enough where I could get the experience of going away for school, while still being close enough to easily go home if I needed to. Plus, when I went on a tour of WMU, I fell in love with the campus in Kalamazoo and with the aviation facilities in Battle Creek. That pretty much made my decision."
Make Way for Matteson – Alysse Finds Her Aviation Destiny
There are some amazing aviation genes in the genealogy of Alysse Matteson, a third-year student in the Western Michigan University College of Aviation. • Grandfather Richard Matteson was a radio operator aboard a B-17, the four-engine Flying Fortress that pounded the heck out of German military and industrial targets during World War II. • Grandmother Geraldine Matteson was a secretary for William T. Piper -- yes, that Piper. • Dad Dave Matteson served as an air-traffic controller in the U. S. Army. • A cousin, Scott Maisch, performs similar duties to keep the skies over Chicago safe.
Earning His Western Wings – Shane Rembold Embraces All Aspects of Aviation
Michael Coldagelli’s “Go For Shot” – Attend WMU and Pursue an Aviation Career
If anybody can be defined as a legacy enrollee in the WMU aviation program, it's Michael Coldagelli. His grandfather, Paul Harding, is a member of the Western class of 1954. After his military service, Harding ended up as the executive vice president of marketing for -- where else -- Western Airlines, which, with its hub in Salt Lake City, functioned from 1925 to 1987 before it merged with Delta Air Lines. Originally from New Berlin, Wis, Coldagelli is a double major in aviation flight science and aviation management and operations.