ISTAT Jetrader - Summer 2024 - 46

ISTAT FOUNDATION
The Impact of
Mentorship in Aviation
by Kristen J. Chmielewski
Y
our suit is dry
cleaned, your
shoes are shined,
your business
cards are crisp
and your practice
handshake is
firm. After completing years of study,
including at ISTAT University, you've
become proficient in understanding
aviation industry market trends,
forecasting and valuation. Yet, no
amount of academic confidence can
compare to the overwhelming anxiety
of walking into a room filled with
over 3,000 accomplished strangers.
Sometimes, a simple wave hello, a
welcoming handshake, a call of your
name or an invite to a meeting can
make all the difference in taking that
first step into the room that represents
your future career in aviation, and our
ISTAT Foundation mentors are here to
help students take that first step with
firm resolve.
46 * THE OF F I C I AL PUBL I CAT I ON OF ISTAT
" Going into the ISTAT program, I wasn't too
familiar with the leasing world beyond what I had learned
in classes and my own research. However, through
the Mentorship Program, I was able to be connected
with someone who was directly involved in the leasing
industry and was also a speaker at the ISTAT Americas
conference. " - Michael Yu, Student
The Genesis of
the Internship and
Mentorship Committee
Formed in 2017, the ISTAT Foundation
Internship and Mentorship Committee
aims to partner ISTAT Foundation
scholarship recipients and ISTAT U
students with top professionals in the
aviation leasing, airline, OEM, MRO,
financing and trading industries.
Currently chaired by Joey Johnsen,
CEO and managing member at Zeevo
Group, the committee has most
recently hosted Mentorship Program
receptions at ISTAT EMEA in London
and ISTAT Americas in Austin for
dozens of student-mentor pairs, along
with additional supporting mentors and
board members.
ISTAT Jetrader - Summer 2024

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