Tyler Koonce
College of Education, Health and Human Studies
Commercial Pilot
Explain your career path
After 15 years in public relations with professional/collegiate sports teams (including SEMO) & a leading national engineering firm, I returned to college to attend flight school at Polk State College in Lakeland, Florida. I earned a degree in Professional Pilot Science along with my private pilot license, instrument rating & commercial pilot license. I’m now training to be a flight instructor to build hours on my way to becoming an airline pilot over the next 2 years.
What was your major at Southeast and how would you characterize the quality of that program to prospective students?
General Studies/Public Relations/Sport Management. SEMO offers a high level of academic training.
Why did you choose to attend Southeast?
It was the only state university in Missouri in 2005 which offered a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management.
Who influenced you most during your time at Southeast?
Dr. Tamara Baldwin & now retired Sports Information Director Ron Hines. I now have a neat relationship with Dr. Ken Jackson, who was a driving force in establishing SEMO’s aviation program.
Share your best college memory.
Traveling with the SEMO Football team & working with Head Coach Tony Samuel & his staff
If you were in Greek Life, the Honors Program or any other student organization, please tell us about that experience and how it impacted you.
Sport Management Society — it was my first leadership role & gave me good insight into how to work together with campus leadership.
The athletics dept. & Sports Information dept. specifically gave me incredible real world, Division I experience on a daily basis. It allowed me to develop a professional work ethic with true responsibilities at a young age.
What is the most important thing you learned while you were at Southeast?
How to be a professional — there were countless others on campus leading by example which really made an impact on how I want to carry myself as a professional
Describe Southeast in three words.
Impactful, Tight-Knit, Pleasant
What advice would you give current students or recent graduates interested in pursuing a career in your professional field?
Aviation needs pilots in the worst way. You can earn your ratings at SEMO & set yourself up for an earning potential very few other professions offer.