Daniel N. Solis went north to Alaska for summer break to drive motor coach buses.
He transported tourists in the Anchorage and Southcentral region, offering tidbits of knowledge as they took in Alaska’s grand scenery and diverse wildlife, including bears, bald eagles, and moose. But how did he get this job? It helped that Solis, an Information Systems major, had a commercial driver’s license (CDL) from his job as a student bus driver at NAU. Also, Solis took a chance and applied.
A first-gen student, Solis comes from a tight-knit family with two brothers out of Surprise, Arizona. He admits his first year at college was tough. “I’ve lived in Arizona and the same house my whole life,” he says. “When I came up to Flagstaff, that was the first time I had been away from home, and it’s only two and a half hours away. It’s not that far, but you know, first time away from home—it was a big change.” He almost dropped out of NAU to transfer to a community college but decided to stick it out. “The lesson I took away from that whole experience was if something’s not working, and if it’s a big life decision you already made, like college, try to make the best of it. Try to wait it out,” he says. “I have a Lumberjack Scholarship. Walking away from that would not have been smart.”
Finding community at NAU
The community he found at NAU also helped him make it through tough spots. “You’re not alone,” he says. “For me, it’s been clubs and church, finding a community of people that way.” He is currently president of the Business Information Technology Club (BIT-C) in The W. A. Franke College of Business. Additionally, in December 2023 he competed in the Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge (MECC) finals in Tucson, Arizona. Solis describes it as esports—a phrase used in video game competitions—but with Excel. Solis plans to compete again in December 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Significantly, he got a job as a student bus driver through NAU’s University Transit Services at the end of his sophomore year. Not only did he meet a lot of people, but this is where he gained experience driving buses. As part of the job, he also helped clean and maintain the buses. For Solis, working with buses was a natural fit. “I’ve liked big vehicles since I was small,” he explains. “I’ve always liked semi-trucks and buses.” He spent the summer before his junior year studying for his CDL and drove the shuttles around campus during his junior year.
Taking a chance on Alaska
Late in 2023, Solis started looking for summer internships online when a supervisor suggested he look into seasonal bus driving jobs. His experience driving shuttles and his CDL allowed Solis to apply for these seasonal motor coach jobs. Searches of jobs in Colorado and Utah were unfruitful, and then Alaska popped up. He took a chance, applied, and was hired.
During the summer of 2024, he spent over three months transporting tourists to and from cruise ships in Whittier or Seward and drove them to Anchorage. He helped them with their luggage and served as a tourist guide. During his free time, Solis hiked and biked the trails near Anchorage.
Beyond his amazing experiences, Solis wants to remember the other lessons he learned. “I think the biggest one was not being afraid of taking advantage of opportunities. If I hadn’t looked for summer jobs and taken the risk, I wouldn’t have made it to Alaska. Also, while I’ve always been more of an introvert, I learned not to be afraid to talk to people. The tourists are coming from all over the country, and they have a lot of business cards and LinkedIn [connections]. And the other one was to not be afraid to do stuff on your own. My roommate, and friend, wasn’t around during my first three weeks in Alaska. Instead of shutting down, I went out on the trails and checked out Anchorage.”
So, what’s next for Solis? He expects to graduate with his degree in Information Systems in the spring of 2025, a field he chose for its blend of business and computers. In Alaska, he developed an interest in the hospitality industry and hopes to build a career that merges his degree with coordinating the movement of buses and tourists.
He is open to other opportunities and, for now, is thinking about driving buses again next summer, but maybe in a different part of Alaska. “Freshman me would never have comprehended going to Alaska, away from home, away from parents, away from family for almost a hundred days—never in my wildest dreams.”
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