ISTAT U Students Soar After Program

Nov 02, 2023, 1:37 PM

Launched in 2015, ISTAT (International Society of Transport Aircraft) University, or ISTAT U, is a specialized program that provides an overview of the multi-faceted aviation finance and leasing industry and exposes students to real-world concepts and methodologies. Course materials have been developed by David B. O'Maley College of Business (OCOB) faculty Dr. Sunder Raghavan and Dr. Vitaly Guzhva, working in partnership with ISTAT industry practitioners. The primary focus of the ISTAT diploma is to promote interest (and educational opportunities) in commercial aviation for the next generation of leaders. ISTAT U is currently available in two different formats: ISTAT U 1.0 and ISTAT U 2.0. Both formats offer students the opportunity to earn six credit hours and a program completion certificate.

Students enrolled in the program have access to ISTAT internship and job portal resources. Each year, the ISTAT Foundation awards scholarships worth $60,000 to OCOB students. The foundation also sponsors student attendance at the ISTAT Americas conference each year and assigns an industry mentor to students. So far, more than 180 students have graduated from the program and have found lucrative jobs in the aircraft leasing and finance industry, including:

  • Nathan Schnitzlein (‘16), director of strategy at JSSI Parts and Leasing
  • Hwa Chai (‘18), business analyst, Aircraft Sourcing and Fleet Strategy, at Amazon Air
  • Ashwini Krishnan (‘18), manager of asset valuations at Avitas, Inc.
  • Dawei Yu (‘19), assistant vice president of Global Transportation Finance at Citi
  • Sloan Churchill (‘19), manager of asset valuations at mba Aviation
  • Fedor Kozhevnikov (’22), analyst at Azorra Aviation Lessor Company
  • Nicholas Quake (‘23), senior analyst in the MBA Leadership Rotation program at Frontier Airlines
  • Shivay Khanna (‘23), investment banking analyst at Seabury Capital
  • Rohan Mahajan (‘21), senior asset manager, Americas, at Aero Capital Solutions

We are grateful to have this program at OCOB and for the generous sponsorship that has allowed our students to thrive. We can’t wait to see what they accomplish next!