Students To Work Overseas At Daher-Socata's Facility In
France
Jessica Miller of Hutchinson, MN, and Shelby "Blaine" McCaleb
of Savannah, GA, will receive the work internships of a lifetime,
as they have been named recipients of this year's EAA/Daher-Socata
International Scholarships.
The program, now in its fifth year, offers each recipient a
five-week internship at Daher-Socata's Tarbes facility in France,
located in the shadow of the Pyrenees Mountains, followed by a week
at the EAA Air Academy in Oshkosh, WI, where they'll help Socata
during EAA AirVenture 2011. All travel, lodging, and work
experience is included, as well as a side trip to the Airbus
facility at Toulouse and to the Paris Air Show.
"This opportunity with EAA gives a one-of-a-kind experience for
these internship recipients," said Nicolas Chabbert, president of
Socata North America. "They will spend some time with us, in their
field of choice such as marketing, production, organization,
design, support or service. It will make a difference in the future
careers of the interns."
While Daher-Socata is currently providing American students a
chance to study abroad, the company has encouraged EAA to find
companies in the U.S. willing to share such an experience with
young people from other parts of the world. For instance, the two
interns will have the opportunity to interact with Socata employees
as part of a unique cultural exchange. "Daher-Socata's commitment
provides an incentive, a challenge to EAA Young Eagles, an
opportunity for them to explore a variety of career directions
within the aviation field first hand, to see what the future
holds," said Elissa Lines, EAA's vice president of business and
donor relations. "For a student, nothing is more important. The
cultural exchange, the educational opportunities, and the impact on
their lives are tremendous."
Jessica Miller is a junior at St. Cloud State University in
St. Cloud, MN, where she is majoring in aviation management with a
minor in finance. Active in planning and supporting aviation
programs in the community and avidly flying since age 15, Miller
has her single-engine and multi-engine commercial pilot
certifications, and is currently studying to become a certified
flight instructor. She hopes to open a flight school in the
future.
"Even though I have achieved quite a lot for a young person, I
am just beginning my goals in aviation," said Miller, who has flown
into all 136 public airports in Minnesota. "I am so excited to
complete my Certified Flight Instructor rating because my goal is
to teach others to fly. My dream job is to fly corporate jets,
while donating my time to help youth gain interest in aviation and
earn pilot licenses. After all, youth are the future of
aviation."
Shelby "Blaine" McCaleb is a junior at the Savannah College of
Art and Design in Savannah, GA, where he is studying industrial
design. He is presently designing, and will be building, a
multi-hull racing boat almost entirely out of carbon fiber, a
project in which he researched the aerospace industry for many
solutions. Later this year, he will be designing and building an
ultralight aircraft or rotorcraft. McCaleb recalled that, when
younger, his father would take him out to the airport on weekends,
where they would "punch Mooney-sized holes in the clouds."
"My very first memories are those of sitting in his lap, with my
hands on the control column of one of his Mooneys at 2,000 feet,"
said McCaleb, who hopes to obtain his sport pilot certification in
the near future. "While other kids in school had posters of rock
stars and bands on their walls, I had posters of planes and
jets. It only seems fitting that 'airplane' was my first
word, and 23 years later I am starting my career in the aircraft
industry."
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (06.29.25)
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