UVU student Dalton Mahan is studying to become a professional pilot, but he’s also learning how to elevate others through leadership. He is enrolled in LEAD, a one- or two-year certification program that focuses on four key areas of leadership and personal development: Learn, Engage, Acquire, and Discover.

The program has enriched Mahan’s education and has positively impacted many students in UVU’s Aviation Program.

“Dalton is a great unifier and has been a game changer for the Aviation LEAD Program,” said Natalie Brewster, director of LEAD. “He came in… and exceeded his responsibilities by engaging in aviation outreach with the aviation advisors, starting an aviation LEAD outreach email, and actively recruiting for the LEAD program aviation cohort on campus.”

Mahan has been a part of the LEAD aviation cohort for three semesters. He fully embraced the value that the LEAD program brought to his education, but he felt that the cohort could be better utilized to connect students with those already working in the aviation industry. When Mahan became team leader of the LEAD aviation cohort, he took action to address this need on behalf of all the students in the program. He reached out to the president of the UVU Aviation Alumni Chapter and requested a list of alumni that would be interested in helping students.

“I decided it would be in the best interest of the students to create something structured around alumni in the aviation industry,” Mahan said. “This is where the development of the LEAD Aviation Outreach Program occurred.”

Through this new component, students invite alumni from UVU’s Aviation Program to speak to and answer questions from current students. Four alumni participated this past year. While they were all pilots, Mahan is hoping to find alumni from other areas of the aviation industry for future events. Each speaker talked about the training process they went through, what it was like to fly various aircraft, and the expectations for pilots set by airlines. 

But Mahan didn’t want this new program to benefit only LEAD members. He wanted to ensure that better networking opportunities were available to all students in the aviation program.

“The Aviation Outreach Program is important for students because they can better learn how they are going to be implementing the knowledge and information learned in the classroom in the work field,” Mahan said. “There will come a time when every student will need to rely on the help of a connection in the aviation industry to further their career development. These events we’ve created through the Aviation Outreach Program are intended to help develop connections with UVU alumni and address any students’ concerns related to the field of aviation.”

After his expected graduation in 2024, Mahan plans to pursue a career as a commercial pilot before working for a private charter airline.  

About the LEAD program

The LEAD program trains UVU students to become leaders by approaching leadership development as more than simply management. LEAD is a one- or two-year certification program that focuses on four key areas of personal development: Learn, Engage, Acquire, and Discover.

Students can approach LEAD through different programs or areas of focus, including UVU LEAD, Aviation, I Am First, Tech Management, and Trailblazer. Together, these areas ensure growth — both personally and professionally — while students participate in the program.