Inside Look

He grew up just down the street from Bowman Field in Louisville and would often ride his bicycle to the airport to watch the planes come and go. Across town, his father worked with UPS World Port at what is now Muhammad Ali International Airport and would often take his son into the cockpit of the big cargo planes.

The pandemic’s impact on the aviation industry will likely be felt for years to come. Among the setbacks for students in the Aviation Program at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) has been a sharp decline in in the availability of internships at airports and airlines around the country.

Megan Toban ('10), Director of Operations and Business Development, gives a tour of the new state-of-the-art Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport Operations Center. Several gradutes of the EKU Aviation program also work at the airport in a variety of roles in addition to the airport hosting internships, tours, and guest speakers for current EKU students throughout the year.

Joseph “Emmet” Freeman has been named the Distinguished Senior for the EKU College of Business and Technology for the Class of 2021. Freeman, who will graduate in May with a B.S. in Aviation and dual concentrations in Professional Flight and Aerospace Management, received the award after a unanimous nomination from the Aviation Program faculty.