Meet Me at Kaldi’s is a recurring column in The Emory Wheel. Every other week, Music & Live Art Desk Mia Hamon selects a random Emory University student and invites them to Kaldi's Coffee at The Depot for a casual conversation.
At seven years old, Jacob Arndt (24Ox, 26C) and his sister boarded a plane traveling to Walt Disney World Resort. Arndt’s sister was elated to travel to “the happiest place on Earth.” However, Arndt was preoccupied in his own excitement — not for castles, princes or princesses but for the plane.
A decade and a half later, Arndt remains enamored with aviation. He currently serves as an intern in Delta Air Lines’ Network Planning department.
“I’m really happy with my job, every day I get to go nerd out with a bunch of my coworkers about planes,” Arndt said.
During this internship, “no two days are ever the same,” as Arndt’s tasks include developing tools, analyzing data or working on projects for other public network planners. While his work at Delta offers him the opportunity to explore his passion for aviation with hands-on opportunities, Arndt found his niche as a political science major and sociology minor at Emory University, making the majors work together to fit his future.
“One of the beauties of Emory, is that you can have these interdisciplinary approaches and be involved in social sciences and be involved in natural sciences and have them work cohesively,” Arndt said.
No matter the subject, Arndt pursues knowledge, as indicated by his full course load. Last year, Arndt balanced a 40-hour workweek while managing an 18 and a 19-credit course load during the fall and spring semester, respectively. He attributes his love of learning to his mother, Dana, who works as a teacher. Arndt said his mother’s emphasis on education taught him to value the world through a diverse lens, driving him to seek out and understand different people, perspectives and cultures.
Arndt loves his work at Delta, which makes his job feel more like a gift than a chore.
While Arndt enjoys studying political science and sociology, he had never planned to pursue these fields. Arndt began his time at Emory’s Oxford College on the pre-medical track before deciding after the fall semester of his first year that he “hated all things science.” That same semester, Arndt took an introductory politics class with Associate Professor of Political Science Donal Beaudette (10G, 13G) and a racial and ethnic relations course with Assistant Professor of Sociology Devon Goss.
“I just fell in love with [political science] and then realized that's what I wanted to do,” Arndt said.
As an Oxford continuee, Arndt appreciates his time spent on the smaller campus. While he acknowledged “people love to hate on Oxford,” Arndt said he would not trade his time there for anything. He added that Oxford’s small size allowed him to connect with professors and facilitate research opportunities.
Throughout his time at Emory, Arndt has been researching under Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Political Science Holli Semetko (13B). In Semetko’s lab, Arndt investigates how various political parties advertise their campaigns on Facebook.
“We're constantly collecting more and more data because ads are always being posted. My job is to kind of go through, find the patterns and find the trends,” Arndt said.
Arndt loves to learn outside of the classroom, mentioning one of his fondest moments at Emory — a Saturday trip to Montgomery, Ala., with his Monuments, Memorials, and Meetings discovery class. Arndt recalled his annoyance at waking up at 6 a.m. to board a bus to the Civil Rights Memorial Center.
“All of us were just thinking, ‘Why do you have to do this?’” Arndt said. “‘It's a Saturday.’”
Despite his initial irritation, Arndt looks back on this day with adoration. He found that his time in Alabama allowed him to connect with his classmates and professor while encountering class material in real life.
“We were just there for one day, but it was such a great memory that I'll always hold, and it was something that I never thought I was going to appreciate,” Arndt said. “I have come to understand that those are the experiences you really have to hold on to.”
Ardnt carries his diverse experiences with him as he ponders his upcoming graduation. He is reluctant to stick to one path, keeping an open mind when deciding on a new runway to follow.
“It’s always good to keep an open mind,” Ardnt said. “That’s something I really appreciate about Emory. It’s taught me to always have an open mind. Don’t stay stuck in your ways.”
