By Maddy Cooper
Professional Flight and Airline Operations, American Sign Language Interpretation, and Spanish Education.
These are a few seemingly out of the ordinary majors that Delta students will begin studying in the fall of 2024.
Marigail Yakos, Samantha Strong, and Abigail Lindburgh are all seniors who are deciding to take these differing career paths.
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Around a year ago, Marigail Yakos decided to start taking flying lessons.
She quickly fell in love with it.
Now, Yakos plans to major in Airline Operations and Management, as well as Professional Flight at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.
“I love to travel, and I wanted a job where I would be able to experience different cultures and see new places,” Yakos says.
While she’s studying to become a professional pilot, Yakos chose to also major in Airline Operations and Management as a backup.
Pilots have strict medical requirements, so having a degree in the business side of airlines helps ensure she’ll have a job in aviation.
Choosing Purdue to earn her degree was her top choice since there are limited universities that offer flight programs.
Purdue is highly respected in the airline industry. They have an airport located on campus, and a large number of planes for students to get flight hours in, unlike many other schools.
However, one of Yakos’ biggest concerns is being able to get her hours while also earning her degree.
Regardless, she’s excited to take classes she’s interested in and to meet new people.
“I’m excited to meet other female pilots and to get involved in Purdue’s chapter of Women in Aviation,” Yakos says.
While she’s not flying, Yakos is a nanny a few days a week or is dancing competitively at Premiere Dance Center, which she’s done for 15 years.
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When she was in kindergarten, Samantha Strong started doing breathing treatments for her asthma.
During treatments, she needed a way to communicate with her family. Her step-brother was learning sign language in his English class.
So, she decided to learn it with him.
Now, a decade later, Strong has decided to major in American Sign Language and Interpretations at a satellite campus of Vincennes University. Strong will be doing her schooling at the Indiana School for the Deaf in Indianapolis, where Vincennes runs a satellite campus that offers hands-on learning experience for students.
“It’s something I’ve been learning since I was little, and I love helping people,” Strong says.
After studying ASL, Strong will be able to help teach and interpret for deaf students.
At the ISD, she will be able to work with deaf students in Pre-Kindergarten to grade 12.
Although she is excited for this learning experience, Strong is a little nervous about being on her own.
However, the program at ISD only houses around 10 students per dorm, so Strong will be in a tight-knit community there.
While in high school, Strong has been a part of Chorale, a choir group, and the FFA chapter.
During the 2023 spring concert, Strong helped teach the choir group signs to go along with the song they performed.
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Since taking Spanish I in the eighth grade, Abigail Lindburgh has had an interest in Spanish culture and the ability to be bilingual.
So, in the fall of 2024, Lindburgh will study Spanish Education at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.
“I chose BSU because it’s not only close to home, but free, and has a great teaching program,” Lindburgh says.
Lindburgh says her first year will be free because of all of the financial aid and scholarships she has received.
After taking all four years of Spanish offered at Delta, Lindburgh decided to be a teacher’s assistant for Spanish teacher Señora May during her senior year.
Lindburgh also is involved in Delta’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Spanish club, National Honor Society, and the school’s Concert choir, which she’s been a part of for nine years.
She is also active in the worship team at her church, Tabernacle of Praise. She has been a part of the team for five years.
While she’s staying close to home for college, Lindburgh’s goal is to become a Spanish teacher somewhere in the Indianapolis area.
She says she hopes to help her future students find passions in different cultures and make an impact on their lives.
