Students Get Key Bizav Career Tips at 2025 NBAA-BACE Collegiate Connect

Oct. 16, 2025

High school and college students took advantage of a golden opportunity to learn about careers in business aviation and connect with potential employers at the Collegiate Connect event during the 2025 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas.

Hailing from far-flung places such as Arkansas, Minnesota, Indiana, Puerto Rico and elsewhere, the young attendees gathered at the convention’s Flight Deck venue, to hear details about the industry and how they might be able to get started.

“Business aviation will give you a chance to have unbelievable experiences,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen, welcoming the students. “We fly to 5,000 airports – just in the United States. Business aviation also gives you a chance to work with the latest technology. When you see the cockpit of a general aviation or a business aviation jet, it is light years ahead of other technologies you might work on.

“Business aviation is going to provide you an opportunity to grow as a professional as an individual. We’ve got a number of professional development programs that help people not only meet others who are in the program but also develop their professional skills,” he added.

Collegiate Connect host Elayna Hall, NBAA manager, professional development, talked about the fact that people don’t have to necessarily be pilots or maintenance technicians to work in business aviation.

“You can be in marketing, you can be in sales, you can be an accountant or a graphic designer,” she said. “There are so many cool opportunities in this industry. Just ask questions and be curious, because that’s how you’re going to find your place.”

Next, Hall invited onto the stage Kolin Jones, founder and CEO at Amalfi Jets, who offered a few job search hints for students looking to pursue business aviation careers.

“Showing up is half the battle,” Jones said. “Dress professionally. Putting yourself in a room full of people that you want to be around is really, really important. It’s a very crowded job market. But the beauty of the business aviation industry is there are so many companies here, and there are new companies every single day.”

YoPro Panel Offers Key Tips for Success

Several insights came during a panel discussion with members of NBAA’s Young Professionals in Business Aviation (YoPro), who touched on topics ranging from networking to how students can set themselves up for success before they graduate.

“Definitely being a part of an organization like NBAA helps,” said Erin Croop, marketing coordinator, base operations at Page Field (FMY). “There’s lots of different college organizations that focus on aviation or other fields that you’re interested in, so definitely get involved with those as much as you can, because it builds your network, it builds your skills. If you can take on leadership roles within those organizations.

That’s also very helpful. It’s going to give you the tools in your toolbox to help you advance and succeed in your career,” she added.

The panel, moderated by Andreas Borgh, student president of the aviation fraternity Alpha Eta Rho, also talked about the importance of job shadowing – finding an aviation professional who will let you tag along while they work. “I think job shadowing can make a big difference,” Borgh said. “Don’t be afraid to go out and ask people who work in the part of the industry that you’re looking to get into.”

Borgh asked the panel to look back on their careers and share things they might do differently.

“I started my career in the military,” said Adam Barron, director of maintenance at ACI Jet. “I didn’t know that I didn’t know everything back then. So, I would say: Stay passionate, stay curious, be trainable. Those are some things that I did not excel at when I was a little bit younger in my career.”

Panelist Kody Bjork, a flight support manager at Clay Lacy Aviation, said he believes a big challenge for young professionals now will be dealing with constant change.

“Everything is changing all the time. The thing that will combat it is networking,” Bjork said. “There are so many opportunities. Meet with these people. If you have innovative ideas, try to see them through. Find a network that is going to help you see your vision.”

Another key question answered by the panel was how young professionals can maintain their mental wellness when dealing with a stressful work environment.

“Find what makes you happy,” said pilot Megan Volpe, a captain at Solairus Aviation. “When I would need to study, I would go to a coffee shop where I really felt like it brought me joy. When I go to training – initial training or current training – I still do this – I buy myself flowers and I put them in the hotel. Those are things that just make me happy, and it kind of pulls away from the monotony of it all.”

Following the panel discussion, the students gathered into smaller discussion groups based on industry sectors, such as scheduler/dispatcher, maintenance and innovation and technology. They later had a chance to tour the convention exhibit floor and experience the NBAA-BACE Career Fair where they could get headshot photos taken, meet recruiters and company representatives, network and learn about potential job roles and opportunities.