Learning To Soar

Standing on the grassy field of the park, she craned her neck up at the blue sky, her eyes following the toy helicopter as it soared through the air.

This was a common activity for Audry Klein '26 and her dad, who maneuvered the helicopter in and out of the clouds. However, her exposure to flying extended beyond the park's borders.

When she was growing up, her dad served as a pilot for the FBI, so flying had always been part of her life. The two would take trips together, often traveling from Fort Worth, Texas, where her dad's family lived, to Houston.

Despite enjoying this time with her dad, Klein didn't enter Trinity University wanting to pursue flying as a career. As a first-year, she had intended to major in geosciences , thinking it would let her get outside and travel-two of her favorite activities.

However, after trying a few classes, Klein didn't fall in love with geosciences like she expected to. As she continued to wrestle with her future into her sophomore year, her dad gave her a suggestion, "Well, why don't we just give flying a shot?"

Her dad's confidence in her inspired Klein to try out flight classes, and after a few lessons, she realized it was what she wanted in her future.

One of her favorite things about flying is how it naturally encourages lifelong learning."I really like learning," Klein says. "Being a pilot, you're always learning, because you have to learn about the new airplanes coming out and take new certifications to be able to fly them."

Since piloting doesn't require a specific major, Klein leaned into her love for learning to choose a major simply because she was passionate about it. After taking a couple of art history courses, she realized it was a major she would genuinely enjoy because of how it honors her passion for immersing herself in other cultures by deepening her understanding of the historical context behind each piece.

This passion for exploring perspectives different from her own reaches outside of academics as well, culminating in a desire to connect with others on campus. Through the sorority Sigma Theta Tau, Klein has been able to do just that, building meaningful friendships and memories.

One of her favorite experiences with Sigma Theta Tau was the Greek Olympics during her first year, when the fraternities and sororities on campus compete in various activities such as jousting and tug of war.

"I like it just because it's a day of all of us being outside in the sun and being together and working toward a goal," Klein says. "And we just get all of our new members in, and so it's kind of a day to grow as a club."

That sense of community spans beyond her sorority. One of the reasons she chose Trinity in the first place was how personal the campus felt. She saw Trinity as a place where students can foster genuine relationships not only with each other but also with faculty.

"Your professors know your name," Klein says. "They know your story."

Klein found a mentor along the way in Art History Professor Michael Schreyach, Ph.D. , who supported her as she chose art history as her major.

"He's been instrumental in growing my love for (this major)," Klein says. "I just love how he thinks and how he runs his class. He gives everybody an opportunity to speak their mind."

While Klein's art history classes on campus helped her learn about the world that she will later be flying around, she also had the unique opportunity to learn about a culture while immersing herself in it through a course called "Tom Brown's School Days: Sport in England." Along with the 11-week class in the fall and the 12-week class in the spring, the course features a two-week trip to England over winter break, during which students examine up close the dynamics and evolution of sport in the United Kingdom.

As they visited museums across England, she saw things she had learned about in her classes and excitedly shared them with her classmates. This trip gave Klein a glimpse into what her future could hold as a pilot with an art history background.

"It's such a unique situation where I can go to different locations, museums, architectural wonders, and I know what it is," she says. "It'll make my trips more interesting because I know things about all the areas."

As Klein's own story at Trinity nears its final chapters, she is eager for her future at flight school. Currently applying to the American Airlines Cadet Academy, she hopes to attend one of the flight schools in Florida affiliated with the academy.

She will begin her schooling this fall and estimates the entire process will take about two years, throughout which she will have earned four licenses: Private Pilot License (PPL), Commercial Pilot License (CPL), Instrument Rating (IR), and Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). After that, she expects to teach for a while before flying for the big commercial airlines.

During this new journey, she knows she will continue to use the skills Trinity has taught her to seek out knowledge beyond the classroom.

"Each class here adds to our experience, teaching you how to go into society and take all this information and really digest it," Klein says. "Trinity has offered me this great experience in how to be a forever learner."