It’s only natural that Kaleb Newton looks to the skies when he envisions his future.
His mom is a former flight attendant, and his grandfather is an aerospace engineer. Kaleb has set his sights on becoming a commercial airline pilot.
Birmingham Promise played a role in helping Kaleb set this goal – and is now playing a role in helping him achieve it.
As a student at Ramsay High School, Kaleb participated in the Birmingham Promise internship program. He got a taste of an engineering career while interning at Hardware Park – and he decided he wanted to go in a different direction.
“It was actually a great experience, and I learned a lot,” he said. “I just realized engineering wasn’t my cup of tea. It let me know what I didn’t want to do.”
Helping students explore potential careers is a fundamental part of Birmingham Promise, and part of the value is for students to eliminate options so they can find their true passion.
For Kaleb, it’s flying. Part of his journey included a “discovery” flight that exposes young people to the air to see what they think of it. “I loved it,” he said.
He is now a freshman at Auburn University pursuing a degree in professional flight. Birmingham Promise is contributing to the cost of his tuition.
While Kaleb received a couple of scholarships from Auburn that covered some of his expenses, he said, Birmingham Promise “knocked out pretty much everything I had left. It was a very helpful scholarship.”
The assistance leaves Kaleb free to focus on coursework and campus life, which is important as he begins his college career.
“It’s been an adjustment,” he said. “It’s a big change.”
Kaleb is already taking classes in his major. “My third day here I was already in a plane,” he said.
His goal is to be part of Delta’s Propel internship program and ultimately to join the airline’s team of pilots. Auburn was a great fit for that.
“Auburn’s flight school is good, and it has a track record of sending good students to Delta,” Kaleb said. “To me, Delta is the best quality airline, and this is a gateway for me to get there.”
