Aviation & Aeronautics

Kelly Martin was inspired to earn her pilot’s license by her dad, a pilot who frequently took his kids up in the air with him. But Martin’s growing interest in problem-solving eventually led her aviation career out of the cockpit and into the hangar. She loved her hands-on training at PIA in projects like sheet metal fabrication, where the solution to a problem depends as much on accurate math as it does on mistake-free execution.

Kelly’s focus on teamwork and her sharp attention to detail helped her land a job as a Research Lab Mechanic at HX5 Sierra, which provides engineering, research & development, and technical services to support the needs of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, NASA, and the General Services Administration.

“One of the best things at PIA is the number of great opportunities they offer students,” says Kelly. “The aerospace maintenance competition (AMC Day) was a huge opportunity for me to compete with my peers and meet a lot of interesting people from companies who are actively hiring in the field.”