Aviation student embraces summer coursework as he learns to fly

Since his time in high school in Omaha, Nebraska, third year aviation flight and aviation management student Garrett Carbullido Negley has always embraced discipline as his key to his academic success. 

To prepare for his future career in aviation, Carbullido Negley challenged himself throughout high school. While the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak, he was writing essays and churning through an extensive interview process for the prestigious Gates Scholarship. The Gates Scholarship is a highly selective scholarship for outstanding seniors, and it is only awarded to 300 students across the nation — Carbullido Negley was one of those distinguished students. 

Simultaneously, he was trying to identify a university that fit his professional, academic and personal goals. He knew he wanted to pursue aviation, which pushed Ohio University to the forefront of his choices. He also wanted to attend a university with a small-town feel, but still had the resources and opportunities affiliated with a larger university, such as Division I athletics, a variety of clubs and organizations, and experiential learning opportunities to prepare for his career.  

“I realized what I wanted most in life was to travel the world and one of the best ways to get that experience was to become a pilot. While looking at colleges with an aviation program, I decided to come to OHIO because it wasn’t too far away from my home and had the small college town vibe,” said Carbullido Negley.

This year, Carbullido Negley is taking advantage of OHIO’s opportunities year-round, since he is taking summer classes. This has given him the chance to complete his first cross country flight as well as take classes that are necessary to complete his required coursework. 

“As an aviation major, staying over the summers gets you further ahead because there’s more availability in planes and there is nicer weather more consistently,” said Carbullido Negley.

Because the sun is shining and Athens is lush and verdant, summer session can sometimes feel more relaxed as a student. Summer sessions are shorter than fall or spring semester, however. This means that courses are often more rigorous because the same amount of material must be condensed into less time. For Carbullido Negley, his discipline was critical in navigating this change. 

“Since classes take place in seven weeks, I don’t have time to put off work, even for the weekend. I have a lot more time during the day to do it, however,” said Carbullido Negley.

While summer session has given Carbullido Negley the chance to embrace the rigor of his coursework and take to the skies, there are elements of the typical academic year that cannot be replaced, such as his involvement with his dodgeball team and his fraternity. 

“I’ve felt supported through my interactions with my professors, other out-of-state students, dodgeball teammates and fraternity brothers. They’ve helped me better adapt and understand Ohio University and how to manage my commitments. I am also looking forward to the next few years of dodgeball as we’re in a great position to win a title or two,” said Carbullido Negley.

As Carbullido Negley continues his academic journey at OHIO, he hopes to continue flying and staying involved with his extracurriculars. By taking advantage of his trademark discipline, ideally, he will be following his dreams of travelling the world in no time.