Meet Western Ontario’s celebrity of the week: Serge Grochenkov! He’s currently enrolled in the Aviation program and is the head of the Western Aviation Association. For Mental Health Awareness Week, Serge talks about his ways of dealing with stress and the importance of mental health. Read about him in his interview below!
Age: 20
Program: Commercial Aviation Management Program – Streamed from BMOS
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Tell me about yourself.
“I was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia and I moved to Canada when I was two. In high school I was really into business and structure and organization, so I set my sights on accounting. I didn’t find out about the aviation program at Western until two months before I started applying to universities. I always loved the idea of aviation, and I wondered, ‘How could I apply this to a degree?’ Once I found out about the program it became my number one choice. I got accepted and got my pilot’s license at the end of second year.”
What led you to pursue aviation?
“I grew up loving trains. I would go to the GO train station in Toronto and watch the trains come and go. Then I went from 2D to 3D and I’d watch action movies with planes, Star Wars, and play flight simulator games. In terms of flight training, I started in September of second year and ended in April of my second year.”
What are your long-range career objectives?
“Going back to the whole structure and organization thing, I love the operational side of airports and airlines. As much as I love aviation, it can be really inefficient at times. You have to arrive at the airport hours before your flight, planes get delayed… it’s amazing how it’s organized now, but there’s so much room for improvement. I’d love to see things flow smoothly and I’d love to get the chance to create that efficiency.”
What’s the best part about being in aviation? What makes you love being in the aviation program?
“The best part is, regardless of whether you’re doing the flight option or the non-flight option in the aviation program, the program is so small with everyone having a very specific passion. You go from your first and fourth year with the same people. Everyone is in the same courses, has same instructors, and has the same stories. You grow up together.”
What’s the most difficult decision that you have had to make? (Aviation or non-aviation related)
“As much as I loved being in the flight aviation option of the program, I couldn’t see myself doing that for the next 30-40 years of my life. It was difficult to make that decision to non-flight based on the fact that I absolutely loved flying. I completed all my written exams, was the first one to get my license in my year, and had a lot of support from my flight profs, but in the end I decided to switch. I still liked operations and I still liked aviation so I decided to work on the ground side of things instead and switched to non-flight.”
Describe your most memorable flying experience
“I don’t think I’m the only one to say this, but no pilot will forget their first solo flight. You spend weeks or months training with an instructor learning the basics of flying, and then they finally tell you “You’re going to fly alone”. Once you get to your first solo flight, not only do you feel ready, but you feel so excited. You’re taking off, and you know that you can be trusted flying a plane. It’s impossible to forget that.”
What event in your life caused you to feel the way you do about aviation and flying?
“I wouldn’t say it was one particular moment. Instead it was an accumulation of flight simulator games and movies that I watched growing up. When I was in middle school my dad would take me to the airport and we’d watch the planes land and take off and I thought that was the coolest thing.”
Do you have any rituals you perform before you go flying?
“I don’t do any personal rituals… I’m not really superstitious. But I do want to make sure everything is set out before I go out to fly; I do the standard walk-around with the plane and check the weather thoroughly beforehand.”
What’s the best way you deal with stress?
“I’m sure every university student experiences stress, and it can be all too real for me at least especially when I was doing my flight training. Everyone has their own way of dealing with it, and for me that way is running. It’s a very personal activity for me, which is why it would be rare for me not to run alone. On the surface running is a great way to stay fit and achieve a sense of productivity and accomplishment. On a deeper level for me, it’s a time when I can let out all of my raw emotions by allowing myself to use it as fuel for a run, and I find it to be the perfect opportunity to reflect upon whatever is going on in my life. If I didn’t run, I would probably start to feel as though I’m bottling everything up inside with no outlet.”
Why do you think mental health is important to you and others?
“I think I mentioned it briefly during the interview, but the topic of mental health is not something I’m a stranger to. In general, I would say my friends would consider me more calm and collected, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t had my own problems to face. In fact, this very semester I’ve actually made use of Western’s Psychological Services – the first time I’ve ever done something like that. Those facing issues with mental health do not always show it on the surface, but that doesn’t mean the problems aren’t real. The reason I find mental health to be so important is because it can be more debilitating than physical health issues in some people, stopping them from realizing their potential and often making them feel stuck. There is little scarier than carrying whatever is plaguing you around in your head throughout the day, and feeling as though there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s great to see the issue being brought more to the forefront, especially in communities such as universities.”
Do you have any guilty pleasures?
“In any category? When it comes to food, soft serve ice cream and Reese’s Pieces. The other day I was grocery shopping and looked at a bag of Reese’s Pieces and was deciding on whether or not I should really buy them… I did.”
One song that you could listen to over and over?
“Anything Eminem. Lose Yourself is my favourite song to listen to while I run. More recently though, Waterloo by ABBA has been stuck in my head and I have no idea why!”
What’s your phone and/or Computer background right now?
“Computer: A design of small airplanes with lines around the screen. Phone background: An airplane wing. Surprisingly, it was actually a default background.”
What show on family channel was your favourite?
“The Weekenders or Kim Possible.”
If you could have the answer to any question, what would that question be?
“What’s the most efficient way to get as much Reese’s Pieces in my mouth as possible?”