Aviation Management alumnus a supporter of Georgian co-op students

Nov. 30, 2016

Currie Russell started in Georgian’s Aviation Management program just out of high school. Only 17 years old at the time, Currie completed two semesters of the program and one co-op work term before deciding to pursue different employment.

Ten years later, Currie’s love of aviation was still as strong as ever, so he returned to Georgian as a mature student to complete his diploma.

While on his first co-op work term with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Currie attended an Airport Management Council of Ontario conference as a student assistant.

While there, he was able to network with industry professionals and hand his resumé directly to the regional director of Transport Canada.

A few weeks later, he received a call from a manager at Transport Canada who was so impressed with his work and employment history, he was
hired on the spot.

“I didn’t have an interview, they just gave me a desk,” says Currie.

Now Supervisor of Regulatory Affairs and Administration at the Region of Waterloo International Airport, Currie says his employer is a strong believer and proponent of Georgian’s co-op program.

They hire one co-op student each semester and have three additional Georgian Aviation Management graduates on staff.

“It’s always rewarding to see where our former co-op students land after graduation,” says Currie. “We have former co-op students now working at Toronto Pearson International Airport and at airports in Oshawa and Peterborough, Ontario and Medicine Hat, Alberta.”

Currie says the moral of his story is to “never give up, trust your intuition and follow your inspiration!”