Alicia Martinez

I had wanted to join the Air Force since I was in high school, because I attended the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. I wanted to go in as an officer and become a pilot. After my first year of college, I ran out of financial aid and needed to take out loans for my second. After the second year, I worked to save to go back to school. Since I wanted to join the Air Force, I decided to enlist. I asked the recruiter to give me a mechanic job, since I always wanted to learn to work on cars. I was very surprised when they gave me an aircraft mechanic job. I fell in love with the job and when I got out I wanted to keep doing it as a civilian. This led me to Penn College and where I am today. 

When I first got my duty station, I saw my orders said “Spangenhelm.” I screamed with excitement, “Yes! I don’t know where that is ...” After a Google search, I screamed, “Yes!” again. I was able to go snowboarding in the Netherlands and visit an amusement park that we accessed by driving through France to get to the other side of Germany. It was amazing learning about other cultures and making friends there. Before going to Germany, I had only traveled to Honduras, my birth country. We visited once every few years, for a week or so.

Having the veteran center was definitely a perk. Meeting other vets always brings that level of familiarity that I felt in the military. They also pointed to me to other resources I could use to pay for my studies. Talking with other vets also helped with knowing that you were not alone, especially as a non-traditional student. I was usually the oldest in a class.

I mostly did volunteer services on Saturdays. I became the president of the Veterans Club my last year, which was somewhat unexpected and decided at one of the meetings on the fly. I tried making the most of it. I had an amazing group of people who were on the committee, too. I was very grateful to be with other vets who thought like me and wanted to make our school year fun.

I looked up which colleges were FAA approved to get my airframe and powerplant license, so I could be an aircraft mechanic again. Out of the three schools I found, Penn College was the most affordable and it was also the closest to my hometown.

I enjoyed the lab times. Most of us in the program learn by doing. Getting our hands dirty is always fun. I also enjoyed seeing my instructors each day. I always came in early and screamed down the hall, “Mr. Steeeeeeeeeeeep” before going to his office to say "Good morning." The instructors would shake their heads and greet me back.

The faculty in the program pointed me towards scholarships that I could apply for and that led to major networking opportunities in the aviation industry. I also had teachers who pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me believe that I could become a mechanic if I really wanted it. For that, I will be forever be grateful.

The main things that I always hear when I ask people why didn’t they apply for certain scholarships are, “I did not know they existed” and “I’m too lazy to write an essay.” Kim Cordrey, Aviation Center Assistant, is always sending us emails about scholarships. But many students don’t like to check their emails. There is also Google. I would just type in “aviation maintenance scholarships” and get a list. If you’re not good at writing, you can always get help from instructors or even the Writing Center. Start with bullet points. You can create a paragraph from each idea. People who want help will seek help. No one can help someone who doesn’t ask for it.

The happiness I feel while doing maintenance inspires me. When I did it for the first time, I felt like it was my calling, where I belonged. The want to feel that again every day. That's what pushed me where I am today. After the military, I worked jobs and felt bored, sometimes depressed. I would get up in the morning and hated going to work. I did not want to live like that for the rest of my life. I remembered how happy it made me when I was in the military and I would put on my uniform to go to work. I would smile from ear to ear and was excited of what I would learn that day. I wanted that feeling back.