The Sky’s the Limit for Aviation Students at UNK

As Emily Farley begins her final semester as a University of Nebraska at Kearney Loper, she literally has her head in the clouds. Back in 2018 when she started taking business classes, a future career in aviation had never even crossed her mind. But then she “started to talk to some of the faculty” and “slowly got pulled in by the students” which helped her discover all that the aviation program had to offer. By the end of her freshman year, she had switched majors and found her passion. It’s a passion which has never left her.

 As the years have passed, Emily’s “aviation classes were definitely challenging as far as pushing (her) out of her comfort zone.” Now that she is a senior preparing to enter her profession, she can appreciate all that she has learned. Aware that pilots must be prepared for every possible scenario, she is grateful for classes that have taught her “to expect the unexpected.” 

As with all classes at UNK’s College of Business and Technology, the aviation course of study focuses on experiential learning. Whether it’s a technical class exploring the effects of weather and how aircraft systems work or a ground class for a particular stage of flying, the aviation program at UNK offers students what they need to understand before they gain experience in the air. It’s this knowledge that they will refer to throughout their career no matter where their degree eventually takes them.

Emily credits UNK for pushing her “in a good way” thanks to “access to an incredible amount of resources” that have been made available through the aviation program. Without scholarships, experiential learning, and opportunities to truly connect with people, she wouldn’t be where she is today. If she could go back in time and give her freshman self a piece of advice, she would remind herself that there is a line that has to be drawn between where you are and where you want to be. She would share that UNK offers everything a student needs to map out that plan. 

 A recent internship with Silverhawk Aviation has helped Emily solidify her career goals. This private company which charters flights added fuel to the excitement for flying which had already been ignited during her time in her classes at UNK. While working as an intern, she was able to speak “a lot with the chief pilots” who come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Keeping “very detailed, organized, and correct records” helped her see all parts of aviation. She also tagged along on flights which helped her gain a new perspective as she learned more about the other pilots, something that helped her understand the level she needs to achieve in order to pursue the aviation career she longs for. 

 When asked where she sees herself in the future, Emily cheerfully answers that she hopes she’s still exploring her options. Through her experiences as a UNK student as well as a Silverhawk intern, she’s excited about possible career paths which include becoming a flight instructor or working in charter/corporate operations. She knows she’s unique as just over five percent of pilots worldwide are female. She wants “to be able to experience many different parts of aviation” and credits her years at UNK for her chance to make this dream a reality.

 Although her first solo flight was nerve-racking, especially when she looked beside her and saw that she was alone in the cockpit, she still loves the thrill and the many challenges that are always present in the world of aviation. She understands that her career path brings with it the need for an infinite amount of learning. Knowing there will always be more to experience helps keep her excitement about the world of flying at a high level.

 Emily loves seeing things from different perspectives which she helps others experience as president of Alpha Eta Rho, UNK’s aviation fraternity. When she initially became president, the fraternity was inactive. Through her efforts and those of the vice-president, it’s now a community where everyone shares and grows together. Considering the diverse career paths available to UNK aviation students, the fraternity celebrates each member’s individual milestones. Emily credits her work as Alpha Eta Rho president for giving her valuable leadership skills and teaching her the value of supporting her peers. 

 This focus on leadership is one of the main tenets of the aviation program at UNK. If she could share anything about this program, Emily would want to spread the word about how “faculty and flight instructors want to push (students) out of (their) comfort zone” and how career readiness is achieved starting on the very first day of class through their focus on professionalism.

Thanks to her numerous hours spent in the air, Emily has already experienced the thrill of takeoff many times. She is excited to “take the hard technical knowledge” she has learned in all her classes and put it to use as her aviation career takes off. Thanks to all she has learned at UNK, she looks forward to an easy transition from her classes to her future as a pilot. With her classmates and professors cheering her on, Emily Farley is grateful that, like the great expanse of the sky she sees from the windshield of her Cessna, her career goals are limitless.