SHU Alumnus Nick Cavallone ’18 Takes to the Sky
After training with the ROTC through SHU, he now flies and teaches students in a T-1A Jayhawk
Nick Cavallone has really spread his wings since graduating from Sacred Heart in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. While attending SHU as an undergraduate, the Glen Cove, NY, native also was enrolled in an Air Force ROTC program hosted at Yale University, and now he’s flying jets and leading flight training at Columbus Air Force Base (AFB) in Columbus, MS.
Cavallone and fellow cadets would travel to Yale twice a week to participate in leadership studies, physical training and aerospace science classes. Completion of that program led to his commission in the Air Force as a 2nd lieutenant in May 2018, just after he graduated from SHU.
Cavallone is now a first assignment instructor pilot (FAIP) for specialized undergraduate pilot training in the Air Force. He has been stationed at Columbus AFB since May 2019. “Being an FAIP means I completed pilot training and was asked to stick around for a few more years to teach others as well,” Cavallone said. “Also, a fun fact: you don’t need to study aviation in college to become a pilot in the military. At Columbus AFB, I am assigned to the 48th Flying Training Squadron, and I fly and teach students in a T-1A Jayhawk, the military’s version of the civilian Beechcraft 400 business jet.”
Cavallone’s job entails getting pilot trainees ready to fly, taking them airborne and teaching them flight discipline and safety, along with en-route navigation and instrument flight work. Additionally, he teaches crew resource management and mobility fundamentals, so when students graduate pilot training and go operational in the Air Force, they’re ready to execute missions as a crew—refueling fighter jets in the air or dropping paratroopers over a combat zone, for example. “Last year, our squadron produced 254 pilots for the Air Force alone, a historic record for our squadron and base as a whole,” he said.
Advisors and educators at SHU provided key support as Cavallone tackled his career ambitions. “In the criminal justice program, I had incredible faculty that supported me through my ROTC tenure and advisors that helped me schedule classes that worked around my military commitment. Anthony Papa (associate lecturer), for example, was and still is an incredible role model and mentor to me, always pushing me to achieve my goals both inside the classroom and out. In the political science program, Dr. Gary Rose (department chair) was also an incredible asset not only to myself, but all of the ROTC cadets, by always taking time out of his day to work with us and attend all of our ROTC formal functions,” Cavallone said.
SHU also gave Cavallone the chance to build his leadership abilities by enabling him to lead the University’s navigating leadership pre-fall program and the Hearts United veterans support organization. “I wouldn’t be where I am today, though, without Dr. (John) Petillo’s personal involvement in the Air Force ROTC crosstown agreement,” said Cavallone. “He’s always been a huge supporter for us, and none of us would be out here living out our dreams in the Air Force without him. We still keep in touch today, and I thank him every time we talk for everything that he’s done for me.”
On a personal note, SHU also is where Cavallone met his fiancée, Heather Coken ’18, as well as the best man in his upcoming wedding, Kyle Ioos ‘18. “SHU gave me countless lifelong friends and memories, and it’s incredible to see how far and big the campus has grown since we all graduated just a few years ago. What I would do to be back there!” he exclaimed.
“I’d recommend SHU because it’s the best of both worlds. You get the small-school feeling, where you know a good portion of the student body and you really feel like a person to your professors, versus being 1 out of 300 students at a big university,” said Cavallone, a true SHU fan through and through. “And on the flip side, game days are still a ton of fun, and the Pioneer Spirit is like no other! Besides game days, the on-campus pub, Red’s, was my favorite part of senior year; it’s where most of my favorite memories took place with my closest friends. If you’re looking to have the best four years of your life at one of the top, fastest-growing universities in the Northeast, look no further. Just go ahead and look back on what SHU looked like a decade ago, and what it looks like today.”