![Sophia Schiappa stands in front of a large jet engine.](/sites/bridgew/files/styles/max_470x470/public/media/article_featured_image/airportintern.jpeg)
I remember being a freshman at Bridgewater State and feeling a little lost with what I wanted to do. Now it feels like I have a sense of who I am.
The aviation field requires on-the-job experience that classroom instruction alone cannot provide. And Sophia Schiappa, ’24, is discovering there’s no better training opportunity than an internship at New England’s busiest airport.
“It’s such a hands-on industry,” said Sophia, an aviation management major from Wareham who is interning at Logan International Airport. “It’s an environment you have to be in to succeed.”
Sophia first worked at Logan for Cape Air, which flies from Boston to destinations in New England and upstate New York. In January, she began what has become a year-long internship with Massport, the public agency that runs Logan.
Sophia works in operations at Terminal E, which handles most international flights. She helps ensure smooth communication and collaboration between Massport, airlines, ground crews and others who help passengers travel to faraway destinations such as Dubai, Tokyo and Paris.
“I’m kind of like a middleman,” said Sophia, who interned this summer alongside fellow Bear Catherine Cummings, ’23. “I communicate about delays, weather and irregular operations and assist the airlines with whatever they need.”
Every day brings new experiences and challenges – and that’s just what Sophia is seeking in a career. Her internship even coincided with the construction and opening of a four-gate extension to Terminal E.
On campus, Sophia is president and co-founder of the Women in Aviation club, which organizes field trips and community service activities. Sophia enjoys helping new students acclimate to ɫƵ and the aviation field.
“I remember being a freshman at Bridgewater State and feeling a little lost with what I wanted to do,” she said. “Now it feels like I have a sense of who I am.”
During her internship, she helped run a STEM expo for high school students, an experience that further solidified her plans.
Sophia aims to continue giving back throughout a career that she hopes leads back to Logan Airport.
“Being able to support such a major facility in the state of Massachusetts would mean a lot to me,” she said. “Plus, I enjoy what I’m doing. I can blend a personal passion and a career.”
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