What do aviation, beekeeping, writing and engineering have in common? James Clague (BE, ’12) is passionate about each of these diverse interests and hopes to incorporate them all as he moves forward in his studies and career.
Drawn to Stevens for many reasons, James has always enjoyed writing, but wanted to follow in his family’s footsteps and study engineering. Stevens’ Engineering Management program seemed like a perfect fusion of technology and communication, and that, coupled with our co-op program, sealed the deal for him. With two co-op semesters at UPS and CB Richard Ellis behind him, James is thankful for Stevens’ ideal location, accessible to many well-known organizations. On-campus James is the president of the Stevens Investment Group, in addition to being a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and Formula SAE, and participating in intramural sports.
Off-campus, James is just as active. More than six years ago, he and a close family friend discovered bees in a chimney, and after contacting a local beekeeper, decided to start a hive of their own. Over the next couple years, they met other beekeepers, learned how to buy bees, process honey, keep the bees alive during the winter months and introduce a Queen. They have expanded that one hive and now James is a partner in a success honey company called Blue Grass Honey. James is charged with selling the honey their bees produce, and coordinates many of these sales in the tri-state area. He has been integral in determining how to package and label the honey, and how to market it to local businesses and through their website.
This experience has been important for James. He said: “It’s been great learning how to take care of and manage the bees. It actually helped me in my co-op assignment at CBRE as I had to take care of buildings and manage projects.”
Not only has he been involved in beekeeping for many years, but James has also been pursuing aviation. At 15, he attended ground school, and at 17, James received his pilot’s license for small aircraft. His family has a history in aviation: his father is a commercial pilot and his grandfather built his own plane. Currently James has logged 70 hours of flight time and is working with his father and his brother to build their own plane.
James is hoping that his diverse interests will converge after graduation. He would like to work in the aviation field, and one day pursue a Master’s degree in Engineering Management or an MBA. In the meantime, he’s looking forward to another co-op semester and discovering all that lies ahead at Stevens and beyond.
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