Riverside, Calif. (March. 2, 2016) — "I have a job waiting for me when I graduate. That's such a relieving feeling to have," expressed Hannah Maria Guajardo, a junior aviation science major at California Baptist University.

ExpressJet recently announced the conditional hiring of four CBU aviation students: Howard Dang, Amanda Snodgrass, Kyle LeVesque and Guajardo. 

Guajardo, who is expected to graduate in spring 2017, has received a conditional job offer as a pilot. The offer is conditional based on her graduating from CBU and meeting various regulations and guidelines mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration.   

"I've been blessed by my experience at CBU," said Guajardo, who was one of the first students to enroll in the flight school's inaugural class in 2013. "The aviation community has been extremely supportive of achieving my dreams."

For Guajardo, her desire to become a pilot started as a teenager, she said. A family friend who was a pilot for FedEx sparked her imagination.

"I thought about how cool it must be to fly," she recalled. "I couldn't get the thought of flying out of my mind."

By the end of high school, Guajardo, a San Diego resident, was conducting a national search for a flight school. Coming to CBU was a "God thing," she said.

"It feels good to live out your Christian life at CBU and to know that you have teachers and instructors who you can trust and turn to," she said in regards to living out her faith.

Dr. Daniel Prather, chair of Aviation Science at CBU, said that as the first aviation science class nears graduation, receiving these conditional job offers are significant accomplishments.

"The industry pathway enhances the credibility of our program and gives students tremendous confidence in their choice of CBU for their flight training and higher education needs," he said.