Scholarship Helps Engineer Turned Business Student Build a New Skill Set
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Aylin Myftija (’25) is retooling her engineering education. Support from the O’Maley Family Endowed Scholarship keeps her on track to complete her business degree next year.
“I knew in sixth grade that I wanted to be an engineer … but sometimes life takes you in a different direction,” she says. She loved the hands-on part of the program but the theory was a struggle. When she discovered data analytics, it shifted her focus.
Her original fascination with automotive engineering dates back to her childhood of Matchbox cars and Hot Wheels. Her father encouraged her interest in moving up to the real thing, working with him on cars. By high school, she was an instructor at a summer program that included 3-D printing and designing radio-controlled cars and rockets.
She heard about Embry-Riddle at an admissions fair and the engineering program piqued her interest. So had immediate access to resources she discovered during a tour of the Daytona Beach Campus.
“I could see myself at Embry-Riddle, and I hadn’t had that feeling at other colleges,” she says. “I was told that even as a freshman I could join projects in clubs and labs that many students at other universities couldn’t until their junior or senior year. That was appealing and drew me in.”
She has made good use of her access to opportunities, participating in the Business Eagle program and Career Services alternative spring break programs. She has visited AerSale, 630 Aerospace, GA Telesis and Embraer. Her visit to Space Florida’s facilities was particularly memorable.
“We got to visit many different places in their facility,” she recalls. “We visited the Boeing Starliner facility, which was previously a shuttle facility, toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, and even got to sit inside NASA security helicopters, which was so cool.”
She also made some business connections that led to an interview for a data analytics internship with GA Telesis.
She is still involved with the student-run Formula SAE team. After two years as composites lead, she is now composites advisor for the team. She believes her strong engineering foundation will give her an edge in the job market.
She would love to take those skills to a Formula One team, working with marketing and sponsorship, but work for an airline or aerospace company would also be a happy landing.
With a sister starting medical school, Myftija is grateful her scholarship eases the financial burden on her family.
“I’m only able to graduate from this school thanks to scholarships. The help allows me not to stress as much on the monetary side and engage more as a student.”