Landing at Embry-Riddle Puts International Student on Course for Career Success

Timur Turganov’s passion for “anything with an engine in it” has powered a dream that’s brought him on a long road from Kazakhstan to Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus.

Now on the verge of graduating with his B.S. in Aviation Maintenance Science, Timur is getting ready for the next step in his journey as a maintenance technician with FEAM AERO in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he starts work in June.

“I am very excited about it,” Timur says with a huge smile. “They do a lot of work on wide-body aircraft, and that’s the experience I am looking for. But they also have a great company culture; they appreciate their people, and that’s important to me as well.”

A Globetrotting Journey That Started Early

While he is just 22, Timur’s life so far has well prepared him for new beginnings and the opportunities and adventures that come with them. Born and raised in Kazakhstan, he lived there until moving to Dubai to complete his high school education.

A year after that, he was on the road again, this time bound for Oregon and Lane Community College, where he earned his associate in science degree and his Airframe & Powerplant License from the FAA.

Although he was a 17-year-old on his own in a brand-new country, Timur was not at all daunted.

“It was a great opportunity to get an education in the United States, and I was thankful for that,” he said. “Of course, I grew up watching MTV and American movies, so I really wanted to see the country, and I know aviation was born here as well. I didn't think that it was such a scary experience for me.”

Timur credits his parents with helping him become so self-reliant. When the family traveled together, his mom and dad counted on Timur’s ability to speak five languages and often used him as a translator and family spokesman.

“I feel like he prepared me for an independent life,” Timur said.

And it was his family who suggested that Timur extend his love of working on cars to include aircraft as well.

“He told me that with airplanes, I would have a lot more opportunities around the globe, and the pay would be higher,” Timur said.

Why Choose Embry-Riddle for an Aviation Maintenance Science Degree?

When the time came for him to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the aviation maintenance field, Embry-Riddle sat at the top of his wish list for several reasons.

“Embry-Riddle has a huge name in the industry, and they worked hard for it,” Timur said. “It’s basically the best school for aviation, and everyone I talked to said Embry-Riddle was the place to go if you want a life in aviation.”

As an international student, Timur had many more obstacles to navigate when transferring from a two-year to a four-year school, and he was impressed with the assistance offered by his academic advisor.

“He helped me to lay everything out and that made it easier,” Timur said.

Another critical factor he cited was Embry-Riddle’s consistent communication with him.

“The emails, the phone calls, they were not nagging me all the time, but they let me know they were there if I had questions and that I could feel free to reach out,” Timur said. “They were always quick to respond.”

Embry-Riddle Offers Opportunities On and Off Campus

When Timur landed on the Daytona Beach Campus in January 2022, he knew he had made the right decision. He chose the Safety Science concentration in the AMS program and immediately found the classes engaging and relevant.

Among his favorites was Aviation Technical Operations, taught by Associate Professor Mitch Geraci.

“It pretty much tells you how the airlines operate, how they are always continuously improving and how things work in real life,” Timur said. “It shows you a completely different side of aviation that I really didn't know much about.”

He’s also enjoyed his safety classes, which he said “opened up a completely different door in the aviation industry.”

Outside the classroom, Timur has also gotten valuable hands-on experience thanks to Embry-Riddle’s focus on providing practical knowledge that complements classwork, and today, he’s serving as a crew manager in the repair station that maintains the school’s aircraft fleet.

“We are working on the actual airworthy engines, the engines that will be installed back in the planes our students are using for their training,” he said.

His other on-campus experiences include being an Interstride International Student Ambassador, serving as a Campus Tour Guide for the AMS program, working as a Line Maintenance Laboratory Assistant and being an original member of the Muay-Thai kickboxing club and part of several campus car clubs.

Timur says his favorite extracurricular occupation was serving as an orientation ambassador and helping new students get settled after they arrived at Embry-Riddle.

“It’s really cool, really fun,” Timur said about being part of the orientation team. “We help incoming students and their families during orientation week, setting up social events and answering questions. We work non-stop from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m., and it was one of the best experiences of my life because you basically make 70 new friends. I liked it so much the first year that I did it a second time, and I would do it again, but I am graduating.”

Embry-Riddle Helps Land an Internship and a Job Offer

Last summer, Timur earned a maintenance scholarship from the National Business Aviation Association and spent two weeks in Dallas, Texas, completing Maintenance Initial training on the Bombardier Challenger 300/350 aircraft.

He hit another high point recently when he nailed down the job at FEAM AERO, an opportunity that came about thanks to the connections of Professor Geraci and the ongoing work of Embry-Riddle’s Career Services team.

“Professor Geraci gave me the contacts that pretty much led me on the path to success,” Timur said.

After visiting FEAM AERO Hangar at Miami International Airport with the help of Arnold James, Rose Carlson, Amy Dowling, Jennifer Thomas, the C.A.R.E.E.R. Ready Club and Worldwide Campus Dean of Students Henry Ponciano, Timur got and accepted his offer to become an A&P mechanic at FEAM.

As he looks ahead, Timur plans to use his B.S. degree to build a career beyond the maintenance hangar.

“I am actually looking to get into management one day, maybe even on the safety side,” he said. “Having this degree to go with my experience will make me a much stronger candidate than someone who doesn’t have a B.S. This degree really sets you up.”

International Students Can Find a Home at Embry-Riddle

When it comes to prospective students who dream about coming to the U.S. to study at Embry-Riddle, Timur had this to say:

“Be confident in yourself and get yourself as prepared as possible. Preparation kills anxiety.”

As for the Embry-Riddle experience itself?

“I am so glad I decided to come here,” Timur said. “I now have friends who will be working all around the industry as pilots, aerospace engineers, air traffic managers, meteorologists, all different roles. I have already been able to build up a network of connections, and that’s really important.”