Mikayla Higginbotham - Aviation Business

Born and raised in Minerva, Ohio, Mikayla Higginbotham, a junior business aviation major at Geneva College, is working toward being a flight instructor and has the dream of one day becoming a commercial pilot. During her senior year of high school, she went to visit her uncle who happens to be a pilot. She says, “He took me on a flight, and I knew it was what I wanted to do.” Higginbotham had already had her eyes on Geneva, and when she found out about the aviation program, everything fell into place to where she could go to the school she loved and study her major of choice. 

While the aviation program at Geneva did catch Higginbotham’s eye, it was more than just this program that led her to feel called to the college. She explains, “I loved the environment when I came to the campus for a visit. Everyone was so friendly, and I wanted a place where I could grow in my faith and be around others that wanted the same.”  

During her time at Geneva, Higginbotham has found herself being challenged while also making great memories such as going to the amusement park, Kennywood, for “fright night.” While flying planes and learning how they operate is her favorite part of the major she is studying, there are many challenges involved when studying aviation. The most challenging obstacle she has encountered throughout earning her degree has been getting her private pilot’s license.  

She values how Geneva teaches everything through a faith-based perspectives and says it has taught her that everything should be done in a way that pleases God. One lesson God has taught to Higginbotham in her time at Geneva is that she can always be used by God in anything she does. “Everywhere I go there are people that need him, and I can use my major to have a ministry of my own serving the people around me,” she says. 

When Higginbotham is not flying planes or in class, she can also be found working in the Human Resources Department where she works as a human resources intern. She enjoys getting hands-on experience and getting a glimpse of what kind of work she can do with the business portion of her degree. 

Higginbotham plans to utilize her business degree post-graduation while she continues to work toward meeting all the necessary qualifications to become a flight instructor. From there, she hopes to work as a flight instructor for a while until eventually she can move on to the airlines and be a commercial pilot.