Aviation grad makes dream of flying a reality

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—As a kid, Grace Stachowiak looked into the skies over her home in LaSalle, Illinois, and dreamed of being inside the airplanes flying high above.

"We would go to the beach on vacations, and I actually hated the beach—I didn't like the sand—but I loved riding in the plane to get there," she remembers.

Now, several years later, she's on the fast track to the captain's chair with Delta Air Lines. Stachowiak graduated from Western Michigan University April 26 with a bachelor's degree in aviation flight science and aviation management and operations.

"It reinforces why I went to a school like Western," says Stachowiak. "I'm 22, and I have a guaranteed job for the rest of my life already if I want it."

Charting her course

When it comes to career, Stachowiak's eyes have been squarely focused on the horizon since high school. She started private pilot training her senior year and began looking at the top aviation programs in the nation to continue her education.

"I came for my tour at Western, and the aviation ambassador made such an impression on me that I came to WMU that I've been a tour guide my entire time here," she says.

In her four years at the University, she embedded herself in the College of Aviation, working as an aviation ambassador and helping prospective students and their families get to know the campus.

"I remember in my interview (for the job), I got feedback that I seemed a little nervous. Now, through giving tours and making connections with prospective families, I'm extremely confident. It's helped me be able to talk through interviews and other important events," she says. "I've grown the most in this role … and made the best friends and networking connections through this job."

The confidence she cultivated as an ambassador empowered her to take on a number of leadership roles as well, rising through the ranks in executive board positions in registered student organizations (RSOs) like Women in Aviation, the Airline Pilots Association and Business Aviation Club.

"I joined everything possible and took every opportunity that came to me. I think college is what you make it," she says.

Through the RSOs, Stachowiak had ample opportunities to connect with industry professionals, develop professional skills and travel the country for conferences while also racking up leadership experience.

She also interned at Stryker in the corporate flight department from May 2023 to September 2024, taking care of planes and performing administrative tasks alongside a fellow College of Aviation student. 

"We got hands-on experience in what a corporate flight department looks like and how that sector of the industry operates," says Stachowiak.

Ready for takeoff

One of the largest aviation programs in the nation and the only comprehensive aviation program at a public university in Michigan, Western's College of Aviation prepares future pilots for the flight deck by getting them up in the air early and often. 

"Everybody recognizes a Western pilot," Stachowiak says. "Everybody knows we come from a place of good training and academics."

Building confidence in the cockpit allowed Stachowiak to spread her wings and take a number of exciting flights, including an unforgettable experience at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the largest air show in the world.

"It was one of the coolest experiences to fly in," she remembers. "There are so many planes, and they don't really have a traditional air traffic control; it's people in little tree houses with binoculars and they have you rock your wings back and forth to show you've heard their communication."

Once on the ground, Stachowiak enjoyed connecting with the vast network of Western alumni who've established themselves in the aviation industry around the globe.

"The community around WMU Aviation is so big but also so small—everybody knows everybody," she says.

In addition to a solid Bronco alumni network, the College of Aviation maintains several career pathway partnerships with industry-leading companies. Stachowiak was accepted into the Delta Propel Pilot Career Program, which secures a guaranteed path to the flight deck at Delta.

Throughout her time with the program, she's had access to a Delta pilot mentor and career development opportunities. Now that she's graduated, she'll continue to work at Western as a certified flight instructor while she completes the required flight hours to join Endeavor Air and then eventually land on the flight deck at Delta.

"My ultimate goal is to be a pilot and also have some sort of side job using my other major, whether it be a committee or a union or taking up an administrative role," she says. "Western has provided me with so many networking connections and good relationships; I have so many options moving forward in my career!"

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