After completing internships with the sales team at Flexjet’s global headquarters in Cleveland and with Embraer Executive Jets in Melbourne, Florida, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University graduate student Ander Turueno Garcia is committed to a career in business aviation.

Growing up near the Mexico City International Airport, Turueno Garcia has loved planes for as long as he can remember.

“I lived directly beneath one of the approach paths,” said Turueno Garcia, who completed his bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Science and is a commercial pilot and certificated flight instructor. “Every other morning, I would wake up to an airplane passing over my home at high power.”

Now pursuing a master’s degree in Aviation Finance, he said the internships with Embraer and Flexjet allowed him to experience the commercial aircraft relationship from both the manufacturer’s and fractional ownership provider’s perspectives.

“Each one confirmed that this is where my interests, abilities and values come together,” he said.

Turueno Garcia was among 40 David B. O’Malley College of Business students chosen for internships this past summer at aviation and aerospace companies in the U.S. and abroad, said Erin Minta, associate director with the university’s Center for Career and Professional Development at the Daytona Beach Campus.

Joe Gibney, dean of the O’Malley College of Business on the Daytona Beach Campus, said that “Embry-Riddle’s business students stand out among employers because we prepare them specifically for the unique demands of the aviation and aerospace industry.”

Whether students are analyzing aircraft values and market data in the college’s Finance and Analytics and Risk Management Lab, working on Bloomberg terminals in its trading lab, or tackling real business challenges, “the goal is for students to arrive at an internship ready to contribute, not simply ready to learn,” Gibney said.

Gabriel L. Petersen, a senior Aviation Business Administration student who hopes to work in airline or airport operations, said he gained firsthand experience in both domains through successive internships. This summer, he interned with American Airlines in Dallas, doing policy and procedure work for its Airport Operations department. The previous summer, he was an intern with the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority at Orlando International Airport.

Petersen, who is also pursuing an MBA in Aviation Management and recently received a full-time job offer with American Airlines, said his internships not only confirmed his passion for the aviation industry but helped him “grow more confident, independent and comfortable working with professionals across different levels of the organization”

As a summer sales intern at Safran Electrical & Power in Sarasota, Florida, Luke Barber gained a better understanding of the business side of the aviation industry. Barber, a senior Aviation Business Administration student who is also pursuing an MBA in Aviation Management, said he also became more confident presenting his work, asking questions and taking ownership of projects.

“This internship helped confirm that aviation is where I want to build my career and gave me a much better idea of the types of roles I am interested in after graduation,” he said.

Mauricio Brito, who is earning his MBA in Aviation Management, and Bryce Gornto, a senior earning his bachelor's degree in Aviation Business Administration, interned at Wilmington International Airport in North Carolina. They traveled weekly, visiting airports of different sizes and learning everything from airport architectural design and asset management to how master plans are developed, including environmental analysis and noise studies.

“I have learned that airport management is a complex field that requires critical thinking, networking, and patience,” Brito said.  “I now better appreciate the relationship between airports and airlines, as well as the behind-the-scenes operations most travelers do not see.”

Student veteran Reece Womick, a junior earning his bachelor's degree in Business Administration, said his internship with Boeing in Mesa, Arizona, affirmed his new career path.

“I am passionate about a career in finance,” said Womick, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard. “This was a large step for me in this career change.”

 Boeing has already offered Womick another internship next summer in St. Louis.