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Joseph Knight

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Bio

I'm currently working on attaining my Aviation Maintenance Technician license. I am looking forward to working on electrical aircraft components. Ultimately, I would like to become a Manager within the Maintenance Department so that I can help others to elevate both professionally and personally. I love working on electronics. I appreciate the challenge of building or troubleshooting a system so that it works as intended or better. Similarly, I have worked as a software developer which I also enjoy a great deal. The code and the electronics are my clay and I mold them. When I'm not working, I'm probably with family and friends. I'm truly a lover of people. I believe my values set me apart. My mantra is "Better Together." When my community does better, I do better and vice-versa. I seek to improve what is in my sphere of influence because I believe it will flourish. Like a seed that is nurtured, I believe the positive I put out will take root and be fruitful. When I succeed I do not succeed alone, I will take others with me.

Education

Atlanta Technical College

Trade School
2023 - 2024
  • Majors:
    • Air Transportation
    • Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians, Other

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Trade School

  • Graduate schools of interest:

  • Transfer schools of interest:

  • Majors of interest:

  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Airlines/Aviation

    • Dream career goals:

    • Ramp Agent

      Delta
      2022 – Present2 years

    Sports

    Dancing

    Club
    1995 – Present29 years

    Arts

    • Performance Art
      1992 – 1997

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      Community — Mentoring & Tutoring
      2001 – Present

    Future Interests

    Advocacy

    Volunteering

    Philanthropy

    Calvin C. Donelson Memorial Scholarship
    I am pursuing my license as an Aviation Maintenance Technician. Specifically, I am particularly interested in working on aircraft electronics, also known as avionics. I have been interested in all things electrical from a very early age. I enlisted in the United States Navy as an Electronics Technician. Given that the Navy is the second largest air force in the world, second only to the United States Air Force, I got my introduction into the world of aviation. Pursuing avionics is the ideal career for me because of my love of electronics as well as my passion for traveling. It is an awesome opportunity to combine one of my favorite hobbies with my career working with electronics. Interestingly enough, I cannot say any person directly inspired me to take up this passion. Excluding the instructors from my certification program, no one in my sphere works in the aviation industry, and certainly not as an aviation technician. Also, I do not have any personal relationships with any electricians. Nevertheless, I give credit to my mother for indirectly inspiring my interest in electronics and the aviation field. My mother has always encouraged me to pursue my interests. More importantly, she successfully sought opportunities that she knew were of interest to me, like afterschool programs and summer camps. She pushed me to go after my dreams. No dream was too big, too ridiculous or otherwise out of reach. That support continues through the present day. She continues to make my dreams her dreams. I believe wholeheartedly that because my mother championed me and my interests, I have been fortunate to have so many experiences that have helped me better recognize who I am including my interests. I have been able to discover some activities that I like, some activities that I love as well as some activities I prefer not to experience again. Her inspiration has fostered eagerness and zeal within me for trying out and pursuing the ideas that excite me. Thanks to my mother, I know there is no feat that I cannot handle. She truly instilled in me that I can achieve whatever I put my mind to and I am deeply appreciative to have that value. While I cannot say my mother sowed the seed for me to pursue electronics or aviation, she is responsible for laying the foundation of healthy soil for me to plant seeds of my own. She helps me grow those seeds in whatever way she can. She has given me the space to find myself and forge my own path by allowing me to pursue the ventures that excite me. Her support and encouragement have been and continue to be a great inspiration to me.
    Koehler Family Trades and Engineering Scholarship
    I am passionate about pursuing Aviation Maintenance Technology because it is indeed a convergence of so many of my talents and interests. Ultimately, when I finish my certification program I would like to work on Aviation Electronics, known as Avionics. I’ve been interested in all things electricity since I was very young. One of my elementary school science projects was on batteries and how they worked. In fact, I won the Detroit city-wide award for that project. Since that time, I’ve served in the United States Navy as an Electronics Technician. I enlisted not only because I was interested in the work but also because of my love for traveling. Interestingly enough, the Navy is the second largest air force in the world - second only to the United States Air Force itself. That was my introduction to aviation. I believe I’ve been able to find my passions because of the Navy but in large part, because of my mother. She never stifled my voice or desires. She has always been supportive of my pursuits. She made every effort for me to try the activities and visit the places that I showed interest in. I was able to participate in countless extracurricular activities. During summers I was always visiting out-of-state family or away at summer camps. A lot of what is at the core of who I am is because of the upbringing my mother provided. I was able to experience new activities and places as well as meet new people. This exposure highlighted how important diversity is to me. It opened my eyes to new ways of living, thinking and existing. Being in the Navy helped cement that. I made friends from all over the world; friends of different religions, races, backgrounds and more. While I was in the Navy, I was deployed on a humanitarian mission to provide aid to developing countries. Those are some of my most cherished memories. I remember interacting with citizens of the different countries I visited. Despite the communication barrier, it was clear they were beyond ecstatic to accept our help. In those moments, I realized how blessed I had been. It was an eye-opener to how much I had taken for granted. I believe that experiences like those have helped to shape who I am today. I try to keep an attitude of gratitude because I know somewhere someone has less than I do or someone is hurting more than I am. I recognize that I have more in common with others than I have differences. In the Navy, it was understood that during wartime these sailors could very well be beside me and we would be counting on each other. If that were to happen, their politics, education, gender or any other difference would be of no consequence. That perspective opened my eyes and helped me to see the bigger picture. It taught me to embrace others despite our differences. I have learned to not just respect but to even appreciate the differences I have with others. Regardless, I want to see people around me thrive and be happy.
    Craig Huffman Memorial Scholarship
    From a very early age, it was clear that I absolutely love to travel. Even if a place seemingly has no noteworthy qualities, I would still imagine a myriad of reasons why I would want to visit. I enlisted in the United States Navy as an Electronics Technician and it was an amazing experience, especially because of all of the traveling I was able to do! While deployed, I visited Singapore, Hawaii, Vietnam and Guatemala, just to name a few. Moreover, I enjoyed the work. I love problem-solving, troubleshooting and fixing complex systems particularly those related to electricity. In May 2022, I began working for Delta Air Lines as a Ramp Agent. I was ecstatic to get the job because, of course, all I could think of was all of the places that I would be able to fly to for free. During the onboarding process, numerous topics were covered but one stood out to me. It was Technical Operations which is the department responsible for aircraft maintenance. Weirdly enough, I had not thought of working on aircraft up to that point but my eyes had been opened. The notion of combining my professional skills with my love of traveling excited me. It felt like a full circle moment given I had served as an Electronics Technician on naval vessels. True enough, ships and airplanes are very different but some of my skills would undoubtedly be transferrable and I could learn the rest. This was a welcomed challenge to expand my knowledge and skills to be responsible for the maintenance and safety of aircraft. From there I began researching what I needed to do to become an Aircraft Maintenance Technician. Within 2 weeks of starting at Delta, I had applied for admission into an AMT certification program. In January, I was enrolled for my first semester of the program. To date, I have excelled and achieved a 4.0 GPA. My fellow students look to me for guidance and value my input which I am more than happy to provide. On numerous occasions, my instructors have even had me teach the subject matter of the day. Similar circumstances have occurred professionally and socially as well. Frequently, in group situations, I have been appointed the de facto leader by either my peers or those in charge. People naturally trust me to do the right thing and make the best choice and I do not take that lightly. I am naturally a very gregarious and caring person. I feel very rewarded when I can be of service to others. I believe it is the duty of a leader to elevate others and, fortunately, it does not feel like work for me; it is a passion that I enjoy. I care about people and will do what I can to help them succeed. I believe I am a naturally gifted leader. I believe my aptitude, accountability and influence are a few of my strongest traits. This is but a short list of the many traits I believe are crucial to being a good leader and I take great care to epitomize them. I strive to be my best and elevate myself so that I can serve as an example to others. Thank you for your consideration!