Jessi Hudgins is Soaring High in Information Sciences and Skydiving at UT
Jessi Hudgins is reaching new heights as she launches a student organization on campus. A senior at the School of Information Sciences, Hudgins is double-majoring in data science and information sciences, concentrating on data, information management, and analytics. She is currently the president of the ParaVOLS skydiving club and aims to attract adrenaline enthusiasts and curious minds to join this new recreational sports club.
Hudgins has always had a passion for data and visualization. When she learned the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, offered both information sciences and data science, she decided to pursue a double major in these fields. She also appreciated the flexibility of taking both online and in-person classes.
“I’ve had a great campus experience. I’ve attended various in-person classes as well as asynchronous online courses, which gave me the flexibility to schedule my classes without worrying about time conflicts,” she said.
Her favorite classes have included Programming for Information Applications (INSC 260), Database Applications (INSC 484), and Database Design (INSC 384). In these courses, she gained hands-on experience in web design and coding systems while learning about data storage and its applications in everyday work scenarios.
“These classes have allowed me to integrate what I learned in my Python class with my database coursework and apply that knowledge to real-world situations. It wasn’t just an introduction to the topics; I could see how I would implement these skills in a job, which was really beneficial,” she explained.
Additionally, Hudgins has served as the communication coordinator for the Information Sciences Club.
“Connecting with other students in the major, sharing our stories, and collaborating on small projects was a rewarding experience,” she remarked.
Though she is originally from California, Hudgins has spent a significant portion of her life in Hong Kong.
“My dad is a FedEx pilot who was based in Hong Kong for eight years, so I lived there from age 5 to 13, living my best life,” she shared.
Hudgins’s family moved from Hong Kong to the United States, and she found it challenging to adjust to her new environment.
“In Hong Kong, we relied on public transportation, whether it was the bus, ferry, Mass Transit Railway (MTR), or subway. So, coming back to the United States and being in a car, using a booster seat, and wearing a seatbelt felt new to us because we never did that on public transport. We could stand on buses, so sitting in a car felt strange. Everything was close; I lived on a small island where I could walk to school by myself at age 8. In Hong Kong, I could go out alone, but here, I had to ask my mom to drive me to the store, which felt restrictive,” she explained.
Hudgins’s father’s career inspired her to pursue skydiving.
“My dad is a pilot; he attended the Air Force Academy, and one of the classes he could take was a skydiving course, which he completed. He was also just interested in skydiving and obtained his skydiving license in the 1990s. He stopped skydiving in 2004 when I was born, but then he got into wind tunnel flying. I saw a video of him doing that, and for wind tunnel, you don’t have to be a specific age. So, I was maybe 11 the first time he took me indoor skydiving. I flew, and I fell in love with it. I never wanted to leave,” she said.
Ten days after her 18th birthday, Hudgins recalled that her family traveled to Eloy, Arizona, where she did her first tandem skydive.
“I think it took me about a month after that to pass my Accelerated Freefall (AFF) certification, which consists of your first seven jumps before you can jump solo. By August, I had obtained my skydiving license,” she said.
Since then, Hudgins has been skydiving whenever she can and is now a coach for other skydiving enthusiasts.
One reason she chose to attend UT was its proximity to many skydiving areas known as drop zones.
The university has had multiple skydiving clubs, both recognized and unrecognized by the school, over the past several decades. The most recent club was an unrecognized one that existed three years ago, according to Hudgins.
“Last year marked the first time our school recognized skydiving as part of Recreational Sports. I served as the vice president during that time, but we were still figuring things out,” she stated.
Hudgins is now the president of the club, which meets every other Wednesday at 6 pm in the Communication and Information Building Room 262.
“In our biweekly meetings, we’ve been discussing safety, the various components of the ram-air parachute, watching videos, and teaching the basics of skydiving. This way, when members arrive for their first jump, they’re not caught off guard,” she explained.
Hudgins mentioned that over 30 people have signed up for the club, but less than 10 attend their biweekly meetings. She hopes to see that number increase.
“Our goal is to inform people about skydiving and create a community where members can go to the drop zone, hang out, and share their passion for the sky and the sport,” she said.
She also expressed the hope of eventually forming a collegiate team to compete in skydiving events.
Hudgins has combined her interests in information sciences and skydiving by creating an online logbook for her jumps.
“Typically, when you skydive, you keep a logbook to record each jump. Most people use paper, but I decided to create an online version to apply some of the skills I learned in my information science classes, such as data analysis and creating maps,” she shared.
Hudgins explained how information science and data analytics can be utilized to gather, analyze, and interpret data to enhance safety protocols and decision-making processes in skydiving. As an unexpected combination, she hopes more individuals in these fields will be inspired to explore the sport. Although her interest began at a young age, she encourages all UT students who are interested in skydiving to support or join the club.
Jessi Hudgins is Soaring High in Information Sciences and Skydiving at UT written by Kristen Gallant and originally published on the College of Communication & Information site.