Panthers have a “brilliant” spring break
(Photo Courtesy of Peco Maranhao Neto; From left to right: Salim Ait-Ouyahia, Manuela Cortes, Natasha Anjani Rao, Daniel Phenicie)
During spring break, four of our Panthers had the amazing opportunity to travel to New York City for an externship with jetBlue. Here is what they had to share with us about this experience.
“The externship at jetBlue was an opportunity I never thought possible. I have aimed at contributing towards aviation safety for a long time and thanks to Florida Tech and the entire team at jetBlue, I could experience life in safety at close quarters. Everyone at jetBlue was so welcoming and keen to help us learn. It was a fascinating experience to interact with real safety investigators, analysts etc. and see how everything works behind the scenes and learn about how they strive towards making the skies safer. The level of organization within the airline was remarkable. The teams went out of their way to help walk us through all the basic concepts of safety such as SMS, safety data analysis, safety investigation and health and safety. What helped the experience was their readiness to answer any questions we had. Overall, this was an incredible experience and I cannot be more thankful to Dean [Miyakusu], Péco [Maranhao Neto] and everyone else involved for making this such an enriching experience. Once again, a big thank you!”
– Natasha Rao
“On March 12, 2015, I was able to participate in jetBlue’s externship for the safety department. I was aware that the program was new for jetBlue before I went to their headquarters in New York City, but I was thoroughly impressed. We spent the day communicating with the members of the safety program as well as touring the well-organized building. It was amazing to see how much work is required to run a major airline from behind the scenes on a daily basis. The people we talked to were very friendly and there was a productive and innovative work atmosphere everywhere we went. As we communicated with the different members of the safety department it seemed to me that the employees felt that their work was important to the company and the safety of its passengers. This externship helped me have a better understanding of the importance of what goes on behind the scenes at a major airline. This program also gave me the information I needed to make an informed decision on what I would like to do with my future. I know that if anyone takes the time to participate in the jetBlue externship, they will be very impressed with the company and know that it is a wonderful place to work. Even the intern that was there had a sense of accomplishment. The intern I met also felt that the work they do is crucial to the progress of the company. I am very grateful that I was able to be a part of this program and would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in a future career with jetBlue.”
– Dan Phenicie
“The jetBlue externship opportunity was a valuable learning experience which I will never forget about. As an undergraduate student at F.I.T., I had the chance of exploring the different aviation paths jetBlue offers, which originally were unknown to me. With the jetBlue externship, I was able to learn about the different safety systems within the company, including the injury safety management system, the safety data and analysis system, and the health and safety program. Through a series of presentations, I was able to truly learn and see the safety culture that jetBlue possesses. Seeing how close everyone works with one another and the friendly atmosphere that I sensed throughout all the offices, really showed me the type of working environment one can expect at jetBlue. If it wouldn’t have been for this opportunity there would not have been another way to really have captured this through writing or words. Another thing I really enjoyed learning about was the multiple internship opportunities that jetBlue offers each summer. As I plan on applying for these internships next year, it was a great opportunity to meet and hear about a current intern’s experience in working with the safety department. Not only did she give us a few tips on how to stand out during the interview process, but she also explained several of the assignments she’s currently working on, which really showed me how directly involved each intern is in the company’s current projects. Something else I didn’t know before attending their headquarters was the flexibility and opportunities that jetBlue gives to their interns. While shadowing one of the team meetings, I was surprised to learn that two current interns were working from home. One of the interns was currently working on her master’s degree and the other intern was working as a flight instructor, while simultaneously interning for jetBlue. I think it’s great that jetBlue gives their interns these opportunities as certain situations arise. In addition to this, I learned about the multiple gateway programs that jetBlue offers its full time employees. Currently my aspirations upon graduating from F.I.T. consist of working on building my flight time so that I am able to pursue my dream of becoming an airline pilot in the near future. However, learning about the different career paths and gateway programs that jetBlue offers to become a pilot for their company was truly an eye opener and something I plan on taking a closer look at within the next year or two. Overall the externship opportunity opened up my eyes to many options I previously did not know about and helped me truly get a sense of the different aviation careers that jetBlue has to offer.”
– Manuela Cortes
