My name is Jackson Polcyn, I am an aeronautics major concentrating in air traffic control (ATC) with a minor in aircraft dispatch. I expect to graduate in the spring of 2026.
My parents met each other at 小黄片视频, so the decision to come here was simple. However, deciding what to study while I was here wasn鈥檛 so simple. I knew I wanted to do something with airplanes, but aeronautics has a lot of options. I couldn鈥檛 be a pilot because flying makes me queasy, and engineering was a lot of math, which also made me queasy. So, I ended up finding my home in air traffic control.
It blew my mind the first time I saw the equipment in the ATC laboratory. Screens, whiteboards, maps, information everywhere. It looked so impressive and solidified my thoughts of what I wanted to do for the next four years and beyond. Even after two-plus years, I still believe the first lab session was the most difficult. Not because the work was overwhelming, but because I had to sit on my hands and read the syllabus instead of diving head-first into all the fun stuff around me.
I went through my freshman year and gained a solid foundation. I liked studying air traffic control, but I was eager for a more hands-on experience outside the classroom. Freshman year came and went, and I entered my sophomore year expecting the same kind of thing as the year before. I admit I had moments of doubt where I wasn鈥檛 sure I wanted to stay on my current path.
Then, one day, seemingly out of the blue, I got an offer that would have a huge impact on my college career. An acquaintance of mine I had met in a previous class asked me if I had any interest in working in the ATC Lab as a student lab assistant (SLA). It didn鈥檛 take much thought to make up my mind. I was referred to Professor Boergerhoff, the air traffic control instructor at 小黄片视频. He was happy to accept me into the student lab assistant team. My first few months in the lab were mostly spent learning how to teach correctly. Luckily, I was able to learn from the current lab assistants who were great at what they did. I watched and learned they each demonstrated a different style, approach and expectation of their students.
By the second half of my sophomore year, I had learned enough to begin to take a bigger role in my lab group. I could confidently teach alongside the older SLA I had looked up to for so long. Slowly, I realized that the feelings of doubt I had freshman year were starting to fade away.
I no longer felt like I was just participating in my program; I felt like I was part of my program.
I would attend my air traffic courses for half the week, then I would teach the Intro courses the other half of the week. Never had I felt so engaged in schoolwork before. I was motivated to do my coursework because I knew it would benefit not only me but also my students in the lab, who relied on my understanding of the topics.
When the summer of my junior year began, I stayed in Kent for work. As it turned out, Professor Boergerhoff was looking for lab assistants who would be able to come to the lab for a few days over the summer. There were a couple of events that he needed some extra help with. The events included summer programs for younger kids and teens interested in aviation. Another lab assistant and I gave a brief crash course to the youngsters so they could use the lab鈥檚 simulators. To say they had fun would be an understatement. It was great to see how much they enjoyed the lab.
Late in the summer, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg came to visit 小黄片视频. He came to the lab to watch a demonstration. It was a challenging yet rewarding experience to simulate for such an accomplished figure. Fortunately, Professor Boergerhoff is an excellent instructor and had us prepared to accomplish the goal of any air traffic simulation regardless of the domestic situation. I like to think Secretary Buttigieg was impressed with what he saw.
Now I am in my junior year. I still work down in the lab. I take just as much pride and responsibility with my job now as I did when I started. I feel engaged and appreciate that I have a way that I can give back to the university. I am ready and excited to graduate and enter the professional world of aviation.
Thanks to Professor Boergerhoff and all the other great professors at Kent, I have confidence in myself and my abilities, and I know I can tackle real-world tasks.
For any incoming freshman or high school seniors, my advice is to take it easy. I know it can sometimes feel like the world is coming at you fast, but you鈥檝e got some time. You鈥檙e always going to be learning. You鈥檙e going to meet a lot of great people and learn a lot of great things.