Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 12

Name: Ryan Brown
Scholarship Awarded: Dec. 2006
College: University of North Dakota, John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences
Graduation: December 2008
Major: Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics, Commercial Aviation Major
Current Job: Flight Instructor (CFI-II, MEI) for the School of Aerospace Sciences at the
University of North Dakota

How did receiving the ISTAT Foundation scholarship affect your life
and career?
The ISTAT Foundation Scholarship has played an integral part in my pursuit to become
a professional Flight Instructor. Without the Foundation I would not be where I am
today. Having paid for my Flight Instructor Certiﬁcation (CFI & CFII), it has allowed me
to provide ﬂight instruction at the Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences for the past
year to young people aspiring to be professionals in the aviation industry. The ISTAT
Foundation Scholarship was the ﬁrst scholarship that I won while in school and helped
accelerate my dream of ﬂight instructing into a reality. I would not describe winning
the ISTAT Foundation Scholarship in my life as a stepping stone; it was more like a
springboard into numerous other avenues apart from ﬂying.

What did you learn from attending the ISTAT Annual Conference?

Ryan Brown

The ISTAT conference opened my eyes to another side of the aviation industry: the
people who make the decisions to keep the aircraft in the air. What amazed me are all the
variables that must be accounted for when a company is ﬁnancing aircraft for an airline
or other entity. It was absolutely a unique and humbling experience to meet the people
who so generously invested in me and my education.

Name: Meseret Ephrem
Scholarship Year: 2007
College: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) (Jan. 2006 to Aug. 2008)
École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile, (ENAC) Toulouse, France (Oct. 2007 to Oct 2008)
Graduated: ERAU August 2008, ENAC October 2008
Major: ERAU - Masters of Science in Aviation Operation and Management
ENAC - Specialized Masters in Aviation Safety and Aircraft Airworthiness
Current Job: Completing an internship at Airbus, (Toulouse, France) in ﬂight operation
department

How did receiving the ISTAT Foundation scholarship affect your life
and career?
The ISTAT scholarship allowed me to pursue a second master's in France as an exchange
student. When I found out about the exchange student program that Embry-Riddle offers
in conjunction with École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile I was determined to join because I
knew the education I will get from these two world-class universities would get me closer
to my goal. At the time, I was attending Embry-Riddle full time and working part time as a
graduate assistant. I took a second part-time job hoping to save money so I could join the
program. As I was struggling to balance 50-60 hours of work weekly and attending school
full time I heard about the ISTAT scholarship. I knew then that the scholarship was my
only hope to join the program without losing focus on my studies. The ISTAT scholarship
allowed me to focus on my studies and achieve the highest academic honor.

What did you learn from attending the ISTAT Annual Conference?

Meseret Ephrem C
I attended the annual conference, as well as the Farnborough ISTAT reception in
London. In both instances, I was inspired and touched by the stories and modesty of
the ISTAT members I met. I learned that the industry is vast and that there are many
opportunities and challenges. And most of all, from the stories I heard I felt assured that
I have chosen the best industry to be in even in these hard times.

12 The ofﬁcial publication of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading

Jetrader - November/December 2008

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