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Rising from Republic Airways and Soaring with Spirit Airlines: Aaron Jones Climbs Higher

College of Aviation

… Michigan University where he took an "intro" class, a couple of computer-programming courses, and completed his … Jones preferred to check out the planes overhead.  Mom signed her 14-year-old son up for a "discovery flight.  Once … beating Central."  They were married  at the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mount Pleasant in 2018 and the family now includes …

https://wmich.edu/aviation/news/2023/09/ajones

Broncos on the beat: WMU Cold Case Program grads are building their careers around public service

W Magazine

… program. KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Just two weeks into her patrol assignment with Michigan State Police (MSP), Trooper Shelby … me figure out how to do that most effectively and come up with good systems for organization.” She isn’t the only … program who feels that way. “The Cold Case Program set me up for success in my current job because it familiarized me …

https://wmich.edu/magazine/news/2026/06/broncos-on-beat-cold-case-program-grads-michigan-state-police-careers

WMU to Host Second Annual Southwest Michigan Vision Resource Fair

College of Health and Human Services

… service providers and technology vendors dedicated to supporting individuals who are blind or have low vision. The free event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the … Visitor parking will be available in the main lot. Designed to serve the blind and low vision community across …

https://wmich.edu/hhs/news/2026/06/southwestmichiganvisionresourcefair

Doctoral duet: Ph.D. student channels jazz legend and mentor Wynton Marsalis in his dissertation

W Magazine

… he had to meet Marsalis and learn his craft. He mustered up the courage to go backstage, and to his surprise, the … into the classroom through Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Let Freedom Swing educational program. Since 2013, the program … civic health by inspiring communities to amplify ideals of freedom and democratic participation in moments of crisis. …

https://wmich.edu/magazine/news/2026/06/doctoral-duet-millard-southern-wynton-marsalis-jazz-dissertation

From Taipei to the Skies: The Inspiring Journey of SkyWest Captain Po Hsien 'Johnny' Chen

College of Aviation

… are in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, and who ended up in Southwest Michigan by way of the northern Indiana … in Detroit, Chicago and nine other major airports.  When he signed on as a first officer, Chen became one of more than … others from different international communities."  Another bonus, he says, was the WMU class in international aviation. …

https://wmich.edu/aviation/news/2025/01/chen

Diving In with Brooke Semler: An Aviation Bronco Birthright

College of Aviation

… Request WMU College of Aviation Information Growing up in the village of Spring Grove, located near the … (EAA) and its Young Eagles Program , which offers free first flights for youth 8 to 17 years old.  "I attended … knew that was what I wanted to do in life and my parents signed me up for flight lessons."    While the WMU College …

https://wmich.edu/aviation/news/2021/02/semler

Aspiring aviator’s dreams take flight at WMU’s College of Aviation through Make-A-Wish

News

… alongside aviation ambassador Bella Kwartnik. Vail climbed up next to a jet engine inside a hangar. Vail was able to … his love of aviation. KALAMAZOO, Mich.—His last name may suggest otherwise, but 13-year-old Vail Fear showed no signs of trepidation as he maneuvered the 737 MAX into a …

https://wmich.edu/news/news/2026/05/college-aviation-make-wish-flight-simulator-vail-fear

Shifting focus: WMU film grad Aidan Ralko captures success through Experience-Driven Learning

News

… video and media studies major, impressed his internship supervisors so much that they offered him a full-time job at … grabbed the first empty seat he could find.    “It ended up being the photography table. I had never touched a … a coming-of-age romantic comedy, follows the story of a struggling photographer who, through a chance encounter, learns …

https://wmich.edu/news/news/2026/04/graduate-success-film-video-media-studies-aidan-ralko

Bronco in the Sky: How WMU Took This Pilot from Jackson to Jet Set

College of Aviation

… the rank of captain and the status of flight operations supervisor for SkyWest Airline, the regional enterprise based … allowed me to make new friends and industry connections.  A bonus was flying to those events."   Dillon during his WMU … Europe.  He's been to Hawaii and "everywhere in between."  Free time is spent with his dogs engaged in fitness and …

https://wmich.edu/aviation/news/2025/08/dillon

Alumni classnotes: Winter and spring 2025

W Magazine

… Heidi Bell , MFA ‘98, debuted her work of fiction, “Signs of the Imminent Apocalypse,” (October 2024, … Music faculty next fall as assistant professor of tuba and euphonium. Kelsey Groesbeck , BSE ‘16, MSE ‘17, is the 2030 …

https://wmich.edu/magazine/news/2025/03/alumni-classnotes-winter-spring-2025