Brazilian Air Traffic Controllers Build English Skills, Connections Through Embry-Riddle Conversation Partner Program

When Brazilian Air Force air traffic controller Brad Marim visited Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for the first time, he already had a friend waiting for him at the Daytona Beach Campus.  

That’s because for the past year, he had been talking to Kevin Lim, a recent graduate and flight supervisor at Embry-Riddle. The two had met through the Conversation Partner Program, as part of the Aviation English for Air Traffic Controllers course offered by Embry-Riddle’s Worldwide Campus. Participants and paid student partners in the program meet twice a month for 30-minute sessions as part of a 10-month course designed to strengthen aviation English proficiency.  

Brazilian controllers Neto Margiota and his wife, Flávia, said that they loved their conversations with Chad Willock, a recent graduate with a bachelor’s in Aeronautics. The exchanges also helped them prepare for the English language proficiency exam required of air traffic controllers involved in international flight operations in Brazil.

Embry-Riddle conversation partner Chad Willock takes a photo in São Paulo with Brazilian controllers Neto and Flávia Margiota (right) and their baby Alvaro. Aurélio Melo, another of his students, is also pictured on the far left. (Photo: Embry-Riddle/Chad Willock)

“This part of the course was very important to help me prepare for the exam and become more confident in English overall, which is helpful when I am working with foreign pilots,” said Margiota.

This past August, Willock traveled to São Paulo to visit the Margiotas and attend the wedding of another conversation partner, Alissa Moura.

“I have had the most amazing time,” said Willock. “The people are so friendly and their energy is infectious. The program has been one of the highlights of my time here at Embry-Riddle.”

Such lasting friendships are common, said Rachel Herman, an Aviation English specialist. Now in its fifth year, the program provides a space for low-pressure, informal conversations, where partners can talk about “whatever they want – jobs, sports, aviation,” she said.

“It is really beneficial for both of them, learning about each other’s lives and professions,” she added.  “There is so much they can gain from each other, and it is another way to make an impact in aviation safety.”

Marim (right) met Embry-Riddle student Kevin Lim through the Conversation Partners Program. (Photo: Embry-Riddle/Brad Marim)

Elaina Hudiburg, a sophomore Aerospace Engineering student, has served as a conversation partner since May.

“I meet wonderful people through this program,” she said. “You meet someone who comes from a different culture but find you still have a lot in common.”

The top five Brazilian students in the Aviation English for Air Traffic Controllers course are also invited to visit Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus to attend classes and special lectures, explore its labs and take part in a graduation ceremony. Marim, who came to Embry-Riddle for two weeks in November 2024, said that “it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The visit was made even more special because his conversation partner, Lim, who is from South Korea, showed him around campus and Daytona Beach, he said.

"Kevin is a great person and, like me, he practices ju-jitsu and loves soccer,” Marim said. “When I visited Embry-Riddle, he invited me over and took me out to show me around town. I felt like we had already been friends for a long time."