Augustas SenutaHello esteemed flying musicians!
My name is Gus Senuta, and I’m the President and Co-Founder of the collegiate FMA Chapter at the University of North Dakota. Several weeks ago, we celebrated our 1-year anniversary at our first meeting of the semester, marking a milestone of our accomplishments since our founding in the fall of 2023. Since then, we have raised over $1,700, co-hosted music jams, and gone on two field trips.
We, the founders of the chapter, started out as friends in our freshman year, making music in the UND Wind Ensemble. We grew especially close during field trips with the band, touring various high schools and performing at the Chicago Symphony Hall in the spring of 2022. During our free time, we’d go out for dinner, watch movies, and would never stop talking about our love for airplanes and music. Who knew that in those precious hours, a common bond was formed, one that would carry us to share our passions with others at UND and beyond!
Given the fact that about 20% of each UND music ensemble group is comprised of aviation majors, my friends and I realized an opportunity. After meeting with John Zapp, CEO of FMA, we saw this becoming a reality. Since our first chapter meeting in October of 2023, we have raised over $1,700, enlisted over 30 members, and joined six music jams with the Music Students of UND (MuSoUND) organization.
In addition, we organized two field trips. The first trip was a visit to the Fargo Jet Center, a major provider for the business aviation industry in the upper Midwest, and a visit to the Fargo Air Museum. The second trip was a visit to Chicago, touring the United Airlines headquarters and flight operations, and the ORD ATC tower. During this trip, we had the opportunity to network with industry professionals, see the United Network Operations Center, and visit a Boeing 787 on the ramp.
It is humbling to see how much we have accomplished in one year, and exciting to see what the future holds. Currently, we are planning several fundraisers, music jams, and a field trip to the Cirrus Headquarters in Duluth, MN.
If you would like to get in touch or support our endeavors, please reach out at fma.und2023@gmail.com or via Instagram at @und_fma. In the meantime, we wish you a wonderful fall season filled with joy, airplanes, and music. Until next time!
Best,
Augustas “Gus” Senuta
Gus is a senior at the University of North Dakota, double majoring in Commercial Aviation and Aviation Management with a minor in Music. He plays the clarinet in the UND Wind Ensemble and Clarinet Choir and is a CFI/CFII. He began flight training at his home airport of KTAN in 2019.
