BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — In some ways, Western Michigan University (WMU) junior Simone Olden has the typical schedule of a student at the College of Aviation in Battle Creek.
“Waking up pretty early because you always have 8 a.m. classes," she said. "Going to be here until like 6 or 7 p.m.”
In other ways, her college experience is anything but traditional.
“I squeeze skydiving in there," she said. "Just a little bit.”
Olden is the president of Skydive Broncos, the school's skydiving club.
The club, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, "helps students enjoy the life of skydiving and exposes that type of culture to college students here at Western," Olden explained.
In fact, that's the reason she chose to pursue a career of aviation maintenance at WMU.
“I was deciding between two schools, just weighing my options — pros and cons between two colleges for aviation," Olden said. "I pulled up the list of extracurricular activities, and I saw skydiving on Western's page. I immediately just admitted myself to the school. That's what I want to do. That's where I want to go.”
Her goal, at the time, was to do a single tandem jump. That's it. Nothing more.
That day came as a freshman in May of 2022.
“I tried it once and I knew I was going to do it forever," she said.
That leap of faith has shot her down a new path.
Now a junior, Simone has 85 skydives under her belt, even competing twice at the United States Parachute Association (USPA) Collegiate Nationals.
"I feel weightless in the sky," she said. "It's just a fantastic experience. I wish that everyone would experience that type of feeling one time.”
It's rare to get that experience in college, though. Simone said WMU is one of only six to eight universities across the country that even has a skydiving club.
As if the sport itself wasn't hard enough, balancing that between schoolwork and a job isn't easy.
“I'm not gonna lie, it's very, very difficult," Olden said. "But thankfully, it's not just a club or organization that I happen to run. It's something that I'm so passionate about. It's where I found most of my friends and, you know, lifelong relationships in this type of club and in this type of community. ... It's something that I'm going to make time for in my everyday life.”
Olden leads a group of 30 students in Skydive Broncos.
Even if jumping out of a plane isn't your thing, Olden said her story can still teach you a solid lesson.
"Don't be afraid to try something new, even if everyone thinks you're crazy," she said.
Olden said each student pays $25 to be a part of Skydive Broncos, but that doesn't even come close to covering the cost of taking on this expensive hobby. She said the club is kept alive through donations. If you'd like to help, you can support the team by clicking this link.
