Limitless: Seeing What Hasn’t Been Seen

By Kamden Moore

For many new college students, myself included, there’s often a planned career path they want to follow. Sometimes it works out, and other times, nothing goes as expected. In my case, my plan to become a mechanical engineering student was put to rest before I even stepped foot on a college campus. However, despite a prolonged period of confusion and uncertainty, I’ve reached great heights in a field I never expected to be in—aviation and unmanned aircraft systems.

I’ve always loved cars, even before I could speak, and I thought working with them would be the only path that would satisfy me. I dreamed of starting my own parts company for race cars and even racing professionally. However, opportunities were limited in my small farm town in northeast Louisiana. My family wasn’t wealthy, which further restricted my options. But two things always pushed me to see past my limitations—my intelligence and stubborn determination. These qualities have been crucial to my success in my college aviation career. None of this came easy, especially since I started with no prior knowledge of anything related to aviation. I had never been on a plane or even to an airport!

One of my first hurdles was figuring out what to do after high school. I applied to Louisiana Tech as a mechanical engineering student but wasn’t accepted for reasons still unknown to me. The University of Louisiana at Monroe offered me a great deal of scholarships, but I had no idea what to study. The school is primarily known for pharmacy, nursing, therapy, and biological sciences. During my career search, I stumbled across an Unmanned Aircraft System Management program. I had a slight interest in technology systems, and this was the only program with tech connotations besides computer science. I also saw that the drone industry was rapidly expanding, with endless applications. So, I made the big decision to study drone systems. The classes were fascinating, thanks to the excellent teaching of my professors, David King and Darrion Jenkins. As time went on, I realized that the field I was entering would change the world tremendously. Many people at my school didn’t even know the program existed or what it meant.

During my sophomore year in Spring 2024, my professor Darrion informed us about an internship opportunity at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest and most efficient airport. They were looking for students studying in the drone field to start a drone team at the airport. I applied, almost as a joke, not expecting to make the cut. I felt unqualified and unready for such a phenomenal opportunity. I asked my professor for help with revising my resume and putting in a good word for me, for which I am extremely grateful. The Airside Operations assistant director, Geoffrey Gaskin, also attended ULM (formerly NLU), which may have helped too. To my surprise, I was selected for an interview, and from there, momentum carried me forward. One interview led to another, and one day, I got the call offering me the internship of a lifetime!

The onboarding process was a bit confusing at first, but with the help of Tom Dobberke in HR at the airport, I managed to get everything secured. I imagined the process would be overwhelming and intimidating, and in some parts, it was—things like finding housing, traveling, and managing expenses. However, once again, my professor Darrion and my family helped me a great deal with preparation and finding options.

Once I arrived in Atlanta, it was a whole new world, and it took some time to adjust. I essentially lived in the city for two months on my own as a 19-year-old. The internship experience was nothing short of insightful and amazing. The Airside Operations team was very welcoming and helpful with all the questions I had. Since I had never been to an airport before, I was blown away when we went out on the airfield for self-inspections. I was on the runways of the world’s busiest airport, working with the people who run it! My bosses, Geoffrey Gaskin and Darrin Barth, were phenomenal mentors who made me feel at home despite being seven hours away from it. They included me and my coworker Amy Martin in important meetings with other airports, calls with various Department of Aviation divisions, and much more. Outside of these events, our main duties were to create structure within the UAS program they were looking to start and to assist in drone operations on the airfield. Amy and I pooled our drone experiences and insights, resulting in the creation of a drone operation checklist, which went through many revisions but is now officially part of ATL Airside Ops’ SOP list. My favorite duty was assisting with the 2D and 3D mapping missions that were shown to the P&D team. Our mini fleet of drones is entirely DJI products, and ATL hopes to expand this in the future.

The internship flew by, and I was a bit bummed to leave. However, I didn’t leave empty-handed, as I carry with me the many skills I acquired and the numerous connections I made. I gained confidence in team communication, management, and critical thinking. I’m forever grateful to the City of Atlanta, my professors, and most importantly, my family and friends. My main drive in life is my younger brother Brailon; I just want to be a good example for him and show him that anything is possible. There are no limits if you’re willing to venture into the unknown.