At West High, most career–focused clubs guide students toward the familiar: medicine, law, business, engineering – the standard career fields many teens begin considering early on. But founders and juniors Daniel Casserly and Ajay Raman wanted something that broke away from that pattern. Instead of following the usual route, they turned their passions for aviation into a new space on campus: Aviation Club. The organization, founded this year, introduces students to piloting skills, aeronautics and the science behind flight- an opportunity rarely seen in high school settings.

Both Casserly and Raman started the club for their own reasons. Casserly has his own hopes of becoming a pilot one day. In part, inspiration for Aviation club was sparked by his own interests. But what began as a personal goal for Casserly to become a pilot quickly grew into something larger: a mission to create a space for future pilots and curious beginners to explore a field that is often overlooked in high schools. 

For Raman, Aviation club allows him to create the first window for students into a career they had never considered before. While traveling to India, a brief layover at the Frankfurt airport in Germany sparked Raman’s interest.

“I remember walking into the terminal and seeing all these cool and massive planes, [and] I had never seen anything like it,” Raman said. “That moment was a very eye-opening experience, and that’s also when I realized my true passion toward aviation.” 

Because of Raman’s interest in aviation, he had initiated his own club. When he realized that Casserly had already started one, they agreed to combine the clubs to form the Aviation Club that exists today.

“I started [Aviation Club] because there [weren’t] any clubs here relating to aviation, aerospace or aeronautics. I started this club because I wanted to be a pilot,” Casserly said.

To advertise the club, Casserly and Raman created flyers, which they hung around the school. From there, they told others to join and asked friends to spread the word. However, struggles emerged as Casserly and Raman started building the club.

“Thinking of ideas for activities for our meetings [is a struggle]. It’s hard to think of many aviation-related things you can do with the big class,” Casserly said. “I use [unique activities as] an incentive to actually get people in and get [interested in] it, because I think once they go the first time, they’ll love it.”

Despite the challenge to come up with ideas, the work Casserly and Raman put into creating engaging activities came to life during the monthly meetings, where club members gathered to participate in and enjoy the captivating aviation–centered plans. 

Each monthly meeting during Academic Lab is designed to give students hands–on experience while keeping the atmosphere fun and engaging. Recently, members worked with sectional charts, plotting their true course and learning practical navigation skills. These lessons offer students a view into a world they may not encounter until much later in life, if at all.

Aviation Club shows students that they can pursue careers beyond the usual list. The club has helped Casserly grow and improve, and he hopes to help members do the same. 

“[Creating this club] made me feel [more confident] speaking in front of a crowd and explaining things when I am nervous in front of many people,” Casserly said. “It makes me happy when [the club members] get and understand what I am teaching them.”

Club member and junior Jadyn Rocchio was encouraging of her friend, Casserly, and his efforts to share his interests. Aviation club is not only a space for those who aspire to become pilots. It also spreads awareness about what it would be like to pursue a job in aviation. Although she joined the club to support Casserly, aviation still sparked her interest. 

“It’s really cool to be able to see [Casserly] teach us about what he loves and it’s also really cool to see everyone be so involved and interested in his passion,” Rocchio said. “I learned how to chart a course [and] It makes me happy to be able to do [it] with my friends.”

Raman’s goals for the club included creating a comfortable environment for individuals to express their interests in aeronautics, teaching people how to chart courses and plot routes and learn important skills about the aerodynamic composition of planes. However, to Raman, what makes Aviation Club distinctive is not the goals that the club aims to achieve. 

“[What makes the club unique is] the people in it,” Raman said. “Everybody’s very welcoming [and] kind, [and] people are always [encouraged] to join as long as [they] want to learn more [and are] interested.”

Looking ahead, Casserly plans to introduce activities like paper airplane racing, combining competition with physics lessons. 

“I hope [Aviation club] grows. Having a guest speaker, [a] sponsor or [a] fundraiser, [would] give us a bigger boost,”  Casserly said. “A guest speaker would be really [good] for helping give people who are interested in aviation advice.”

As Aviation Club continues to grow, it demonstrates how student-led spaces can bring niche, specialized careers into the high school spotlight– broadening the map of what students can imagine for their futures. 

“I’m hopeful [and] optimistic,” Casserly said. “I really like how [Aviation club is] coming along so far. There’s a lot of people who seem to be really interested in it, [and] that makes me happy.”