Co-op/Intern Spotlight: Alexander Li Yu Fei

Alex is pursuing a degree in Aeronautics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Prescott Campus. He had the opportunity to intern at Falcon Field Airport over the summer.

How did you obtain your internship and what were your responsibilities?

I received the internship through Prescott’s Career Services email, notifying all students that there is an opportunity for us to do summer internship at Falcon Field Airport, and submitted my resume through my career services advisor/ mentor, Darren Hudak.

My responsibilities as an Intern for Falcon Field Airport includes:

• Planning & development of matrix for infrastructure, operations and research to transit the airport from a Regional General Aviation Airport to a National Airport as per National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS)
• Research, and analysis of infrastructure, operations development and limitations
• Research on business development opportunities

How did this experience help solidify your future career aspirations?

 This experience helped me solidify my future career aspirations by providing me a hands on research experience into airport operations and the aviation industry. It also reinforced my knowledge on the laws and rules of the FAA and other government agencies, so that I will be more aware of them when I move on to work in the aviation sector after graduation.

In what ways has your co-op/internship experience impacted your college experience?

 This internship has impacted my college experience by giving me a valuable opportunity to apply what I have learned from my college degree to an actual airport. I would not know the fine link between theoretical knowledge from a classroom environment and practical knowledge in a real-life scenario if not for the help of this internship.

What advice do you have for someone contemplating an internship/co-op?

I would say, just do it. It will definitely help you develop more as an individual, at the same time, allows you to become a more competent aviation professional in the future. Furthermore, you can value-add to the company you are interning at with your skill set, at the same time, it serves as an learning opportunity for you. You will also potentially be offered a full-time career by your employer if they really liked the work you produced. Taking up an internship of your choice is definitely a win-win situation, and you will not regret your choice.