Jon Vincent holds a cup of coffee as he looks out a window at Flip Café. He watches snowflakes drift through the gray skies before they softly land on the snow-covered ground. It’s a typical winter scene in Edinboro.

“I don’t miss this,” the 38-year-old Erie native said. “Seems like most of my life I spent pushing around snow, from the time I was a kid to when I was on the campus police force. I don’t expect to be shoveling a lot in Savannah, Georgia.”

After a short holiday trip to visit family in Erie, Vincent will return to the Peach State and his new job as a SAP ERP solutions analyst II with Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., which specializes in building business jets. He landed the position after graduating in May 2022 with a bachelor’s degree from PennWest Edinboro’s Business Administration Intelligent Enterprise program.

Vincent originally enrolled at Edinboro in 2003. By the end of his first semester, he withdrew. “I had no idea what I was doing back then,” he admitted. “I never asked any questions in class because I didn’t want to seem stupid. Finally, I just quit going.”

A few years later, still searching for a path in life, Vincent signed up for a martial arts course taught by Pennsylvania State Trooper Brian Arrington, who encouraged him to become a police officer.

Vincent wanted to prove that people of color could trust cops — especially if the officers looked like them. “I wanted to be part of making a change,” he said. “I wanted to make a positive impact in the community.”

So, he went back to school. After earning an associate degree in criminal justice and enrolling in the Mercyhurst Police Academy, Vincent joined the Edinboro University Police Department in January 2015.

Within a few years, he earned his stripes as a corporal and specialized in community relations as a police liaison.

Though he found the work fulfilling, he realized that his opportunities to move up were limited. Once again, Vincent searched for the next direction in his life’s journey. He re-enrolled at Edinboro, where his wife, Lisette, was taking classes.

“She was my inspiration to return,” Vincent said.

He found his niche in the Intelligent Enterprise program taught by Dr. Douglas Battleson.

“Dr. Battleson took me under his guidance and gave me a blueprint to build a new career,” Vincent said. “When I signed up, I had no idea what the course was. But it didn’t take long to realize it was exactly what I wanted. The program was definitely hard work. But it was worth every sacrifice.”

Vincent worked with The Baer Group as a SAP project coordination lead even before he graduated. A few months after he received his diploma, Gulfstream wanted to talk to him. After arranging to meet with company representatives in Savannah, Vincent tore his Achilles tendon.

That injury may have felled a mythical warrior, but Vincent wasn’t going to let it keep him from the interview. Against the recommendations of his doctors, he began the journey with a stopover in Charlotte, N.C. His connecting flight to Savannah was canceled. The next flight was after his interview.

Hard work and determination had gotten him this far, but Vincent needed a bit of luck to finish the last leg of the trip. Another grounded passenger overheard Vincent’s plight. The man is a former Gulfstream employee and knew the people set to interview him. He contacted Gulfstream and explained the situation.

The next morning, Vincent flew to Savannah and aced the interview. He so impressed Gulfstream that the company increased Vincent’s starting salary before he returned home. Saying yes was easy.

“I can’t emphasize enough the significance of Edinboro’s business program in my life,” Vincent said. “Everyone from the dean of the school to all my instructors did everything they could to make sure I was successful.”

Less than a year after leaving the campus police force, Vincent said he does miss the job.

“I loved my job at Edinboro,” he said. “But I’m in my happy place now with a great company and a great team.”

And he won’t be pushing around snow anytime soon.