Adviser’s Note: Olivia Zehms, who graduated in 2018, returned to NDA to take questions from the Journalism I class. A cross-section of their stories is below.
“I think it’s important for everyone to get out of their hometown and see things,” said Olivia Zehms, an NDA alum. After graduating in 2018, she went from an aspiring massage therapist to a customer support rep at Jet Air, a private aviation company located adjacent to Austin Straubel Airport.
After a serious relationship went wrong, she moved back in with her parents and started working at an embroidery company. She continued to look for more fulfilling work and was recommended to work at Schneider’s by a family friend. She worked in customer service there.
Zehms then learned about a part-time opening at Jet Air. Her younger sister also works there with a military contract.
“I love it, it is so much fun, and the connections you make are incredible,” said Zehms. She has now worked for Jet Air for a year and her job consists of front desk customer service, answering phone calls, making reservations, fueling gas, ordering catering and replacing plane parts.
Her company offers to rent or store private jets for clients. Jet Air also works with Executive Air which is another aviation company that offers similar services. Ms. Zehms mentions her company holding a black hawk helicopter for clients.
Olivia was one out of eight children and many of her siblings attended NDA.
“We had a lot of Zehms here,” said Mrs. Brown. Olivia is a very adventurous person who rides motorcycles and travels in her free time. She even looks forward to skydiving--Ally Paprocki
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‘’The only thing that changed since I was in school is the atrium and the teachers,’’ said Olivia Zehms, a graduate of the class of 2018 from Notre Dame Academy.
After her graduation, she went off to college for massage therapy.
‘’I did not end up in massage therapy. I ended up working in the field of aviation,’’ said Zehms.
Aviation has everything to do with aircraft. She works at Jet Air near the Austin Straubel Airport where she does customer service.
‘’I make sure when people fly in their private jets or leave they have everything they need. I take care of the pilots, hotels, food and rental cars,’’ said Zehms.
The planes at the airport range from private jets to military planes. Though she works in aviation she does not get to fly the planes.
‘’I love my job! I do not get to fly in the planes because of work,’’ said Zehms.--Payton LaViolette
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Olivia Zehms was supposed to be a massage therapist, but the world had other plans because she now works in customer service for Jet Air, the private air service located adjacent to Austin Straubel Airport.
The NDA alum got into this job because her sister works for Jet Air and she found out they were hiring part-time. Jet Air was able to match the pay of her old job, and she then was able to work there full time.
They have quite a few customers and some can’t be told to the public.
“Some of our customers can’t be disclosed,” said Zehms.
Flying this way can be safer because “most TSA screenings miss 90% of weapons and it is mostly a deterrent not to bring that kind of stuff,” she explained.
However, just because it can be safer doesn’t mean it is necessarily cheaper.
“It costs some people $1,500 per hour to fly one way because the pilots charge that much. If you have the pilot stay with you on the trip, it can be more because you have to pay for their food and hotels,” said the alum.
Zehms also takes care of all hotels, food and anything a customer might want when they come to Green Bay.
“Sometimes it is a manhunt to find what they want,” she said.
If you ever fly in a private jet out of Green Bay, maybe Zhems will check you in for your flight. –Evelyn D’Angelo
