Portrait in Annual Giving: Jeffery Bloom ('88, PC)
During Jeffery Bloom’s 19-year career at United Space Alliance (USA), he has supported high profile missions for the International Space Station (foreground) and the Space Shuttle.
As a software engineer for United Space Alliance at the Johnson Space Center, Jeffery Bloom (’88, PC) has spent the last 19 years supporting missions— like the Space Station and recent Shuttle mission STS-127—that are literally out of this world. But Bloom has remained down to earth when it comes to a different kind of support: providing funds to prepare the next generation of space professionals.
Early on from his days as a graduate from Embry-Riddle’s Prescott Campus, Bloom wanted to give back to those who had prepared him for his own career.
“When I graduated from Embry-Riddle, I felt prepared and confident to find a job,” he recalls. “The university sent me on my way in a positive direction, and because they helped me, I want to give back.”
Today, Bloom still believes Embry-Riddle is leading students in the right direction. It’s one of his motivations for his ongoing support. “I believe the university’s focus on aerospace and aeronautics is right on track and that’s why I support them,” he says. “They are doing the right thing for the future and I want to be part of it.”
Being a part of the future is important to Bloom, especially when it comes to America’s space program.
“In the space program, we are always being asked if qualified people are being trained for this work in the future,” he explains. “By supporting Embry-Riddle’s engineering students and programs, I believe I’m doing my part to make sure graduates are prepared to work in the space program.”
Whether his gifts are used for student scholarships, new equipment, computers or other College of Engineering needs, Bloom knows they will contribute to a brighter future for students and the university. “I know my gifts are being used where they’re needed and I trust the university to determine those needs. By helping the students and the engineering program, I know it is helping the university grow and maintain their leadership position in the aeronautics field,” he says.
Bloom knows first-hand that it takes a group of people to make a mission successful, and he takes the same attitude towards giving to Embry-Riddle. “If we all help a little bit, we can do a lot.
