First-gen graduate soaring toward a bright future in aviation management

Janae Martinez doesn’t consider herself an overachiever, but when you look at everything she has accomplished over the past four years, it’s hard to deny that she possesses an extra gear that most of us could only aspire to attain.

The Central Washington University aviation management graduate just finished up a grueling spring schedule that had her taking 22 credits and working two jobs. That came on the heels of a 19-credit winter quarter, which enabled her to complete her business minor in time for commencement earlier this month. On top of all that, she made the Dean’s List.

Despite having to finish her college career in overdrive, Martinez feels confident that she has set herself up for a successful future.

“I could have graduated sooner, but I figured I might as well keep going while I’m here,” she said. “When I told my advisor that I wanted to add a business minor, she said, ‘are you sure?’ But I knew I could handle it, so I just went for it.”

Martinez explained that she wanted to augment her aviation management knowledge with some business fundamentals so she could gain an upper hand in the job market.

“I considered a couple other minors, but I decided business would probably benefit me more in the aviation industry,” said Martinez, who started out in the professional pilot program before shifting over to aviation management in the spring of 2025. “I felt like having a background in economics, human resources, and business law would give me a valuable perspective when I go to work for an airport.”

All of her hard work ended up paying off when she landed a dream summer internship with Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The massive airfield is home to one of the most popular air shows in the nation, as well as the EAA Airventure, which attracts more than 700,000 attendees and 10,000 aircraft every July.

Martinez hit the road to Wisconsin in mid-June after spending a few days with her family in Toppenish. She is ecstatic that she will have an opportunity to learn more about the industry in such a high-profile setting.

She’s also happy to have learned firsthand the meaning of the old adage, “it’s all about who you know.”

“I received a scholarship to attend the Washington Airport Management Association annual meeting in May, and on the second night, I had to give a speech,” Martinez said. “One of the aviation professionals liked what I had to say and told me he wanted to help me find a job. He mentioned me to one of his friends at Wittman Airport, and before I knew it, I was on a FaceTime call with him.”

As part of her internship, she will also attend a major aviation conference in Chicago in August, which will help her further expand her network as she prepares to join the workforce later this year.

“It’s going to be such an amazing experience,” she said. “Just being able to get my foot in the door in Oshkosh and meet more people in the industry is going to help me in so many ways. Only a couple months ago, I wasn’t even sure what I was going to be doing this summer, so finding this opportunity is everything I could have hoped for.”

In many ways, Martinez feels the same about her time in Ellensburg. After a relatively quiet first year living in the dorms, she decided that she wanted to help other on-campus residents become more engaged with one another.

That led her to apply for a resident advisor (RA) position — a job she enthusiastically carried out for her remaining three years at CWU.

“I was determined to get the other students out of their rooms and start engaging with one another,” she said. “I went and bought a bunch of card games, and it started to catch on to the point where I came back one night and they were all sitting around singing songs together. It was amazing and I thought to myself, ‘This is the college experience I wanted them to have.’”

Martinez also benefited from some devoted mentors during her time at Central — specifically, Assistant Professor Alexander Walker and Director of TRIO Student Support Services Maria Sanders.

As a first-generation college student, she needed all the support she could get.

“It was so helpful to have people like Maria and Professor Walker on my side,” Martinez said. “They were always there for me when I needed advice, and I don’t know where I would be without them.”