Traverse City Native Reed Hudson Named 2025 Aviation Student of the Year

Traverse City native Reed Hudson was named the Michigan Association of Airport Executives’ (MAAE) 2025 Aviation Student of the Year, a short feature posted by 9&10 News on March 2, 2026 reported. The station identified Hudson as "a senior at Western Michigan University (as noted by the station)" and the online item included an "Interview with Robin Erb" linked from the feature page.

The award carries the 2025 designation even though the station’s piece ran March 2, 2026; the 9&10 News excerpt supplied to this newsroom reads in full, "a Traverse City native — Reed Hudson, a senior at Western Michigan University (as noted by the station) — was named the Michigan Association of Airport Executives’ (MAAE) 2025 Aviation Student of the Year." The station’s navigation suggests the feature was part of its video coverage, listed alongside "More videos" and the "5pm Evening News."

Separately, local career-technical education in Traverse City received statewide recognition earlier this year. The Record-Eagle reported that Scott O’Dell, instructor of the Aviation Maintenance program at Northwest Education Services Career Tech Center in Traverse City, "was honored with the award Jan. 27 at the statewide Michigan Career Education Conference in Grand Rapids." The Record-Eagle item identifies Mikki Spagnoli, awards chair at the MI Career Education Conference, as the presenter and includes image captions showing O’Dell instructing Logan Pierce, a Traverse City West Senior High student.

Those two distinct honors - a student award reported by 9&10 News and a teacher award detailed by the Record-Eagle - together illustrate the local institutions involved in aviation education. Western Michigan University is listed as Hudson’s current institution, while Northwest Education Services Career Tech Center in Traverse City is named as the employer and program site for O’Dell’s Aviation Maintenance instruction. The Record-Eagle image captions reference students such as Logan Pierce as direct beneficiaries of that program.

For Grand Traverse County residents, the recognitions highlight education and workforce channels that provide pathways into aviation careers. The MAAE student honor for a Western Michigan University senior and the Michigan Association for Career and Technical Education New Teacher of the Year award for an instructor at Northwest Education Services both point to measurable achievements within local training programs and regional conferences - the statewide Michigan Career Education Conference in Grand Rapids on Jan. 27 is explicitly cited as the setting for O’Dell’s award.

As local aviation education draws statewide awards, the visibility may affect recruitment, program funding, and student interest at institutions named in these reports: Western Michigan University, Northwest Education Services Career Tech Center, and Traverse City West Senior High, where students like Logan Pierce train. The immediate reporting by 9&10 News on March 2, 2026 and the Record-Eagle’s Jan. 27 coverage provide a factual snapshot of how Grand Traverse County educators and students are being recognized at the state level.