Radun is majoring in aviation management and flight.
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, Fla. – Being a scholarship athlete at Florida Tech requires incredible hard work and dedication to excel both in the classroom and on the field. Panther men's lacrosse player JR Radun, a junior majoring in aviation management and aviation, will be participating in the new edition of Scholar-Athlete Spotlight. JR, a native of Haymarket, Virginia, appeared in 13 games in 2023 and had 19 ground balls and seven turnovers.
Through three games this season, he has recorded five ground balls and caused two turnovers.
Radun has been named to the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner's and Florida Tech Athletic Director's Honor Rolls after each of his first two seasons.
With the Panthers' season just getting started, JR joins us to talk about how he keeps everything balanced and how Florida Tech is preparing him for life in the air. Did.
■ Please tell us a little about your major here at Florida Tech. Why did you choose that?
My major is aviation management by flying. Growing up, my family traveled a lot. My father is from Croatia, and every summer he and the rest of the family would travel to Croatia and fly overseas on large planes.
I've been interested in it since I was little. Then, in high school, I sat down with my parents and started considering my future major. Aviation was one of his. Then we started looking into it and there was a set career path around flying.
■ What do you want to do with your major after graduation?
When I graduate, I plan to become a flight instructor, and once my hours increase to 1,000 hours, I plan to move to an airline.
■ What made you want to come here about Florida Tech?
Florida Tech has multiple partnerships with major airlines, including United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. These partnerships helped define my career path, and I felt that Florida Tech was the perfect place for me to graduate and begin my career.
■ What did you learn in class that you didn't know about your major before?
So I found it really interesting to progress through coursework in my major and see how airports are designed and planned.
■ Do you have any teammates or fellow players who have become research partners?
Yes, I have some teammates who are in the same major as me. He has one person who is older than me and several people who are younger than me. It's a cool dynamic that we have. With my older teammates, if I have a question, I ask him for advice, and my younger teammates ask me for advice. It's a wonderful dynamic.
■What do you need to do to make the most of your study time? Do you have a playlist or do you need to be alone in your room?
For me, I'll sit in my bedroom and turn on something like a sports podcast.
■ How did being a college athlete prepare you for what you're doing now, and what do you take from that field into your studies?
Yes, definitely. The work ethic aspect of being a pilot is not easy and in some ways it is very similar to sports. You have to constantly work on yourself both in the air and on the ground, and lacrosse is the same on the field and indoors. movie room.
■ What advice would you give to athletes coming to Florida Tech interested in aviation management and flight?
It takes time, but it's definitely worth it. You'll have to schedule it properly, but it's definitely doable and worth it in the end.
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