Friends in flight cross the finish line together
Purdue Global professional flight students bond over shared Italian heritage
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. —
Among that sea of smiling photo-takers at the October 2022 commencement were Gabriele “Gabe” Giusti of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Massimo Ruzza of northwest Pennsylvania, two brand-new Purdue Global alumni who were neither friends nor family this time a year ago. Now, they felt like both after meeting online as professional flight students and quickly bonding over their mutual love of aviation, Italian heritage and efforts to complete the program together.
Although they had never met before attending their first Purdue Global class together in November 2021, Giusti and Ruzza had so much in common that a long-distance friendship was all but inevitable.
In their travels as U.S.-based commercial airline pilots – Giusti is a first officer with PSA Airlines, and Ruzza is a captain with Republic Airways – they rarely encounter other Italian-born pilots. Now, they were studying alongside one another in the same virtual college classroom.
Their full story is available on the Persistent Pursuit website.
Media are welcome to share, post and publish these stories, photos and videos.
Media contact: Matthew Oates, 765-586-7496 (cell); oatesw@purdue.edu; @mo_oates
Note to journalists:
Journalists interested in interviewing Gabriele “Gabe” Giusti of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Massimo Ruzza of northwest Pennsylvania should contact Matthew Oates at oatesw@purdue.edu.
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