My name is Kyle Penta and I am a Junior at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Florida studying Aeronautical Science with a minor in Business Administration. I have my private pilot's certificate and my instrument rating. My hometown is Blackstone, Massachusetts and I attended Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School (BVT) where I studied Business & Entrepreneurship for four years. Currently, I am a member of ERAU's chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Through FBLA, I have volunteered at beach cleanups, tabled for the club at the activities fair, collected food donations for the Volusia County Basket Brigade, and attended the FBLA Highschool Division Fall Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fl and Providence, RI where I explained what ERAU offers to high school students. At this event I had the opportunity to talk about my experience so far at ERAU and explain the many career pathways ERAU has to offer within the Aviation and Aerospace industry. Many of the students did not realize how aviation can be linked to business and even the medical field. It felt great to inspire high school students to pursue careers in aviation and I can't wait to do it again next fall. I have also gotten involved with the Business Eagles program within the David B. O’Maley College of Business. The Business Eagles program is an elite group of students that serve as representatives for the College of Business. Through this organization I have been able to have 1 on 1 talks with executives within the aviation industry. In high school, I was very involved and had the opportunity to compete at state and national competitions. By being involved with FBLA at ERAU, I had the opportunity to represent Embry Riddle at the state leadership conference last March in Orlando where I placed in both the events I competed in. I then competed last June at the national leadership conference and placed 4th in the marketing concepts event. Looking forward, I have made it my goal to graduate a year early (2025) by taking summer classes both this past year and this upcoming summer on a study abroad to Australia. I have always been a driven student and have decided that this is a good goal for myself. It will also allow me to keep the expense of college to a minimum. Back home, my mom is a first grade school teacher and my dad is a grocery manager for a local supermarket. My parents make a modest living, but have been able to save over the years so that they can make college affordable for my sister and I. I am very fortunate to have my parents support in my aspiration to become a commercial airline pilot after graduating from Embry Riddle. I hope to be able to pay back a portion of the cost of my education to my parents once I get a job at an airline. Since I was in fourth grade it has been a dream of mine to become a pilot. What keeps me motivated through my flight training and degree is thinking about the day my parents get to pin my wings on me. That will be the day I know I achieved my dream, and I will be able to repay my parents for all their support.

My name is Kyle Penta and I am a Junior at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Florida studying Aeronautical Science with a minor in Business Administration. My hometown is Blackstone, Massachusetts and I attended Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School (BVT) where I studied Business & Entrepreneurship for four years. Currently, I am a member of ERAU's chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Through FBLA, I have volunteered at beach cleanups, tabled for the club at the activities fair, collected food donations for the Volusia County Basket Brigade, and attended the FBLA Highschool Division Fall Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fl and Providence, RI where I explained what ERAU offers to high school students. At this event I had the opportunity to talk about my experience so far at ERAU and explain the many career pathways ERAU has to offer within the Aviation and Aerospace industry. Many of the students did not realize how aviation can be linked to business and even the medical field. It felt great to inspire high school students to pursue careers in aviation and I can't wait to do it again next fall. I have also gotten involved with the Business Eagles program within the David B. O’Maley College of Business. The Business Eagles program is an elite group of students that serve as representatives for the College of Business. Through this organization I have been able to have 1 on 1 talks with executives within the aviation industry. In high school, I was very involved and had the opportunity to compete at state and national competitions. By being involved with FBLA at ERAU, I had the opportunity to represent Embry Riddle at the state leadership conference last March in Orlando where I placed in both the events I competed in. I then competed last June at the national leadership conference and placed 4th in the marketing concepts event. Looking forward, I have made it my goal to graduate a year early (2025) by taking summer classes both this past year and this upcoming summer on a study abroad to Australia. I have always been a driven student and have decided that this is a good goal for myself. It will also allow me to keep the expense of college to a minimum. Back home, my mom is a first grade school teacher and my dad is a grocery manager for a local supermarket. My parents make a modest living, but have been able to save over the years so that they can make college affordable for my sister and I. I am very fortunate to have my parents support in my aspiration to become a commercial airline pilot after graduating from Embry Riddle. I hope to be able to pay back a portion of the cost of my education to my parents once I get a job at an airline. Since I was in fourth grade it has been a dream of mine to become a pilot. What keeps me motivated through my flight training and degree is thinking about the day my parents get to pin my wings on me. That will be the day I know I achieved my dream, and I will be able to repay my parents for all their support.