Piloting aircraft for the U.S. military isn’t the first occupation that comes to mind for most business students.  College of Business Administration senior Alex Bieber is about to help change that perception.  Bieber will graduate from the college this spring and then head down to Columbus, Mississippi four days later to report for active duty in an undergrad pilot training program.

“I joined the Air Force ROTC halfway through my freshman year and then last spring I found out I got my pilot slot which means that I’m eligible to train as a pilot,” said Bieber.  “I took the pilot physical last fall and a few other tests.”

Bieber doesn’t see a big disconnect between the world of business and that of a career piloting aircraft.

“I’ve noticed in ROTC with the leadership in that and how it plays into my business classes really meshed well.  I’ve really grown from the leadership classes at CBA and the types of projects that we have to work on here.  With ROTC alongside that everything just kind of goes together.”

Bieber is originally from Shawnee, Kansas and came to UNL in part because her parents are Nebraska alumni.  She also has other relatives in the state and when she researched coming here everything just clicked including wanting to branch out a bit from where she attended high school.  She will be branching out again in the coming months and years.

“I love traveling and obviously I would be doing that a lot.  It will be a challenge but I love the teamwork aspect of flying too.  I hope to fly heavies which would be the transport planes but I’d love to do any kind of flying.”

Besides being involved in community service as part of her ROTC activities, Bieber has also been active on the CBA Student Advisory board.  She particularly enjoyed the opportunity to serve on the board over the past year as the college leadership has changed.

“It’s really neat because I have an understanding of what’s going on with the college.  We have lunches with Dean Plowman and hear her ideas and get to share our ideas of what we would like to see changed.  We’re working on the ethics code and the global partnership to have foreign exchange students feel like they’re more included.”

Bieber, who is graduating with a degree in business administration, encourages new students to get involved with as many things as possible while attending college.

“I feel like you should always explore what opportunities are available.  I try to diversify myself with different activities between ROTC, business, and I was in a sorority for three years.  Just find opportunities to get involved and from that you’ll meet people that can really take you new places.”

With a pilot’s career already mapped out, Bieber will now take her Nebraska collegiate experience to Columbus Air Force Base and set out on her own journey of new places.