When Draven Summers looks back on his six years in the United States Air Force, he remembers the constant motion and working on aircraft across the world. Life moves a little slower these days — as slow as it can for a full-time student, full-time employee and new homeowner.

“Alabama feels very slow-paced compared to all that,” he said with a laugh. “But I'm enjoying it.

Now a junior computer science major at Troy University through TROY Online, the Gulf Shores native is navigating a different kind of flight path, one that's leading him from military service to a future in aerospace technology.

After leaving the service, he spent time in Seattle, Washington working for Blue Origin where he helped build 26 aircraft and contributed to the launch of the New Glenn rocket. Today, he's a nightshift supervisor at Lockheed Martin while also serving as a student worker for TROY for Troops, the University's resource center for military-affiliated students.

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