Aviation technology student soars high
2007 Student Leadership Award recipient
Growing up near O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Josh Stroka was no stranger to airplanes. But he never dreamed he could someday pilot one of those aircraft flying overhead.
“Before I came to Purdue, I didn’t really have any flying experience,” says Stroka, a senior in aviation technology. “I developed an interest in aviation due to a combination of being exposed to airplanes when I was young and hearing about Purdue’s aviation program, which has a great reputation in the Chicago area.” It’s been nonstop for Stroka ever since.
Based on his accomplishments and a nomination by his fellow students, he was awarded the college’s inaugural Student Leadership Award last spring.
When he isn’t excelling in his classwork and labs, flying, teaching other students how to fly, or showing aviation company officials around the airport, Stroka is involved in a host of aviation and student leadership roles. He is president of the Aviation Technology Student Council and has served as treasurer and as a member of the organization’s executive committee. In addition, Stroka has helped organize the annual Aviation Career Fair.
During his four years at Purdue, Stroka also has worked as a member of the ground crew for the Purdue Air Race Team. He is now coordinator for the ground crew members, who make life easier in every way for the pilots.
“It’s the pilot’s job to fly the plane, but it’s the ground crew’s responsibility
to think of everything else,” he says. “We focus on preflight planning, finding the best routes, and monitoring the wind and weather forecasts so pilots aren’t flying into turbulent conditions.”
During cross-country competitions such as the Air Race Classic, the ground crew plans when and where the team will make stops and ensures that they have hotel accommodations in each city.
Stroka will receive his degree in May, and his goal is to work as a pilot for a regional airline.
“What I’ve learned is that this industry continues to grow and new opportunities are being created all the time,” he says. “I’m trained as a pilot, but because of the great preparation I’ve received at Purdue, I’d have no trouble transitioning to another area in aviation.”
Stroka says he has had many opportunities at Purdue to network with people in the industry because of the connections the faculty has made with corporations.
“Every professor in the program is really focused on making sure we can get jobs when we graduate. It’s that kind of commitment that makes this program great,” he says.
— Kim Medaris
Jump Start: Academic Summer Camp gives freshmen a boost
Vivianette Ocasio-de Jesus, a junior in computer graphics technology, began pondering a career in video game development in her mid-teens. Studying pre-calculus and biology in between sessions with the Mario Brothers, the Carmel High School student contemplated life as a creator of the virtual Mushroom Kingdom.
But it wasn’t until she enrolled in Purdue’s BOOST program (now called Academic Boot Camp (ABC)), the summer before her freshman year that the Puerto Rico native felt really prepared to begin her own quest for glory — that of a successful computer graphics technology student.
ABC offers multi-ethnic students admitted in science, technology, and engineering majors a chance to experience Purdue coursework and college life prior to the start of the fall semester.
“The biggest thing for me was time management,” says Ocasio-de Jesus about her weeks on campus in 2005. “I was very disciplined, got to sleep early, and woke up early to study.” Thanks to that formative experience, she says, “I did a lot better than most of my classmates the first semester.”
Once enrolled in the College of Technology, undergraduates can seek help from tutors, mentors, and career counselors.
“Those weeks prepared me for what college was going to be like,” explains Ocasio-de Jesus. “I knew I would have 15 or 16 hours of classes, that I would have to study, and that I would need free time. I learned I would need to manage my time wisely so that I could do everything.”
Ocasio-de Jesus also made her way around campus. By developing a cognitive map of her new environment so soon, she avoided late class arrivals that could have put her behind from day one.
ABC will take place June
28 – August 1 this summer.
— Angie Roberts