Jerrica and Bryce Gordon Celebrate Their Love of Aviation and Their Love of Mt. SAC

Bryce and Jerrica Gordon

Bryce and Jerrica (née Morales) Gordon both grew up in the Mt. SAC area and were drawn to the school because of its aviation program. Bryce wanted to be a pilot, and Jerrica was a budding aviation fan. Neither could have guessed how much the College would impact both their personal and professional lives.

The pair met in 2006 when Bryce was training to be a pilot, and Jerrica had just begun a four-year degree at the University of La Verne across the street from Brackett Field, where Mt. SAC’s flight school is. Even though Jerrica wasn’t a flight student, the program encouraged her enthusiasm, and she became a lifelong aviation supporter. That inclusivity is how the program operates. It embraces anyone who is interested, regardless of their experience level or their career aspirations. David Todd, coordinator of the Mt. SAC flight program, knew Jerrica was interested in any opportunity that would get her closer to the aircraft so he suggested she ask Bryce to show her how to wash the planes.

Like many of the programs at Mt. SAC, the flight school is hands-on from day one. As a student, Bryce worked on the planes and one of his duties was washing the airplanes. Being new to Mt. SAC, Jerrica didn’t know that the flight school was operated by students and expected the person she was looking for to be an instructor or at least a professional of some kind. But Bryce was a student, just like her. They hit it off, and Bryce likely sealed their fate when he offered to take Jerrica on her first flight in a small aircraft. 

They’ve been taking flights together ever since. They competed together on the Mt. SAC flying team and made lifelong friends in the program. Bryce eventually worked as a flight instructor at Mt. SAC and earned a four year degree through Mt. SAC’s partnership with Southern Illinois University. His job took them to Colorado and then to Florida, where he is currently a captain for Frontier Airlines. Jerrica’s career advanced alongside Bryce’s. She earned a master’s degree while in Denver and now works as a Senior Benefit Technology Consultant for Lincoln Financial. They live on the Atlantic Ocean and can see space launches from their home so they’re looking up at the sky even when they aren’t flying. 

The Gordons’ first dance at the Mt. SAC hangar

The Mt. SAC flight program formed the foundation for the Gordons’ relationship and their approach to life. The values of education, dedication, and team work that they learned at Mt. SAC are still with them. In fact, they love Mt. SAC so much that they even had their wedding reception in August 2010 at the Mt. SAC hangar at Brackett Field. For their ten-year wedding anniversary, they knew the only way to celebrate was to give back to the community that has given them so much. 

Pilot training isn’t like other collegiate coursework. Students pay by the hour to practice in order to meet the steps necessary to get a license. Of course, Mt. SAC keeps the cost to students low, and Bryce is grateful for how affordable his unparalleled education was. But the Gordons don’t want cost to be a barrier to anyone who dreams of flying. That’s why they’re establishing a scholarship named after the runway, 26L (“two-six-left”), where they took their very first flight together. Consider supporting this scholarship to get more Mounties in the air!