Wins Tuition-Free Online 'MBA for Aviation Professionals'
Course
Stephanie Smith, 28, of Albany, OR, couldn't believe it when she
received the message that she was the winner of Daniel Webster College's NBAA raffle for a
free online MBA for Aviation Professionals. Her
husband, she said, saved the telephone message about her winning
without saying what the message was about beforehand.
"I played it once, then had to sit down and play it
again," Smith (above) recalled. "We're all pretty excited
here."
Smith says she had originally seen the story about Daniel
Webster's raffle in an online aviation newsletter and since she was
in Orlando for business, made the Daniel Webster booth at NBAA one
of her destinations. She starts the MBA for Aviation Professionals
on January 22, 2007, joining others who have decided to pursue
their master's degree online – with an aviation focus --
without many of the challenges students find attending a
traditional MBA campus program.
Smith holds an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering
from Oregon State University and has worked as a mechanical
engineer for Garmin AT, a subsidiary of Garmin International for
the past three years. She sees Daniel Webster's graduate degree as
an opportunity to expand her opportunities at Garmin. "I'd like to
see what more I can do to support Garmin's future interests."
An MBA, she added, will also give her a different focus.
“While I have a technical background with the mechanical
engineering degree and work experience through Garmin, I feel the
MBA for Aviation Professionals will provide a more solid business
background. For me, this program will allow me to learn important
and necessary skills, essential for working within our organization
and with others, and allowing me to look beyond the technical
aspects of my work.”
Securing an MBA for
Smith was not something that came up suddenly when she read about
Daniel Webster's raffle. "I had been interested in an MBA for quite
a while," she said, "but found that most MBAs would interfere too
much with my work schedule and family life."
"Aviation is a part of everything I do. I work with avionics
installations and aircraft on a daily basis at Garmin, work on
airplane projects at home, spend time with other pilots at the
Albany, OR airport (S12), and have developed friendships with
pilots around the world. My vision is to see aviation become even
safer and more profitable, to keep large and small aviation-related
businesses going strong."
At the Salem, OR, campus where she works with approximately 165
other Garmin employees, Smith does mechanical design work and
analysis for aircraft installation of Garmin avionics.
Smith doesn't leave aviation behind when she leaves work. Both
she and her husband Dennis are pilots and currently own a Piper
Tomahawk, which they fly as often as they can. Smith is also
currently training for her IFR rating.