Jetrader - Summer 2017 - 47

ISTAT Americas Welcomes

Students of the ISTAT Foundation
By Yreka Flores

The ISTAT Foundation continues to explore
new ways to impact the next generation
of the global aviation community. This
year, at the ISTAT Americas conference
in San Diego, the Foundation welcomed
16 first-time conference attendees from
the ISTAT University and ISTAT Scholarship
programs. These university students
were invited to take part in the conference events, providing them with a unique
opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios.
New this year at ISTAT Americas, the
Foundation offered a Mentorship Program
for students to be paired with a seasoned
ISTAT member for the duration of the conference. This initiative was implemented
to provide students with a more enhanced
and exclusive networking opportunity with
notable members of ISTAT. The goal of the
program was to assist in the student's
career development during the transition
period between recent college graduate
and established industry professional.
Throughout the conference, the students
shadowed their mentors, were able to
experience business meetings and were
introduced to a broad professional network.
The feedback from the students and the
mentors was incredibly positive.
ISTAT University student Mike Welch, of
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, had the
opportunity to shadow Steven F. Udvar-Házy,
chairman and chief executive officer of Air
Lease Corporation. Welch shared, "Being
paired with Mr. Udvar-Házy was a great

experience, and it was an honor to be able
to have one-on-one time to speak with him.
I sat in during a meeting with an engine OEM
and was able to witness how business is done
to deliver an aircraft on time while keeping
in mind the interests of the customer airline.
There are a lot of moving parts I was exposed
to during that meeting. It was interesting
to watch how things come together for the
final product delivery."
These 16 students observed levels of
business deals that typically are only seen
by established industry professionals.
Another ISTAT University student,
Allen Chiu, of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University, shared: "My experience with my
mentor gave me a networking advantage.
He was well-prepared with good ideas to
help me get to the next level of my career
in aviation management."
What's unique about ISTAT members
is their willingness to give back to the
next generation. The selected mentors are
established in their careers and enjoy sharing their knowledge about the industry. The
head of the Mentorship Program and the
new Scholarship Committee Chairman, Andy
La Stella, shared: "It's been a good career
for me, and there's certainly a sense to give
back from those of us who have made our
careers in aviation."
We would like to thank Andy and his
team, consisting of Yreka Flores, Murrae
Ross-Eskell, Rod Sheridan, Betsy Snyder and
Tracey Renfro, for their coordination of the
Mentorship Program. A special thank you to

the mentors: Jamie Baker, Stan Chmielewski,
Mohamed El-Borai, Maryanne Fike, Stephen
Fortune, Dean Gerber, Tom Heimsoth,
Jeff Knittel, Andy LaStella, Dana Lockhart,
Jeff Lynn, Roland Moore, Rod Sheridan,
Betsy Snyder, Mark Streeter, Jep Thornton,
Steven F. Udvar-Házy and John Vitale for
sharing their ISTAT experience with the
industry's next generation.
Also during the conference, the Foundation hosted a variety of fundraising events, including the Annual ISTAT
Foundation Golf Tournament, which took
place on Sunday, 5 March at Torrey Pines
Golf Course. On Saturday, 4 March and
Sunday, 5 March, 40 ISTAT members had
the exciting opportunity to take the
helm of the Stars & Stripes USA 11. Thank
you to those who participated in these
events that raised nearly $50,000 for
the Foundation.
Additionally, thanks to the generosity of
the ISTAT membership, ISTAT Past President
Marc Allinson presented ISTAT Foundation
Chairman Damon D'Agostino, with a check
for $626,365 representing the annual grant
from ISTAT to the Foundation in support of
individuals and institutions that promote
the advancement of commercial aviation
and humanitarianism.
Be sure to connect with the ISTAT
Foundation on social media to see more
about the Foundation's activities at ISTAT
Americas including one-on-one interviews,
the Friends of the Foundation Reception,
and the various fundraising events!
Jetrader * Summer 2017 47

Jetrader - Summer 2017

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