Empire State University Student Helps Airdrop Resources Into Gaza

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Chloe Hite, a business administration student at Empire State University, joined the Air National Guard in 2022 and was deployed in 2024 to Jordan, where she was among the first units to airdrop resources into Gaza during the ongoing war. 

“Helping people get food and blankets to stay warm was important because at that point they had no structures, they were just living on the sides of the road,” Hite said in a news release. 

Hite said the flexibility offered through Empire State University helped her balance her responsibilities within the Air National Guard. After graduation, Hite said she plans to continue her military career by becoming a supervisor and inspiring others to join.

“I want people to be able to find their purpose of why they joined and also see the world as I did,” Hite said.

Hite hopes to earn a master’s degree in teaching so that she can teach business to middle and high school-aged students. Hite said her goal to teach came from her teaching experience within the Air National Guard, where she trains and instructs air crew members.

“There are so many life lessons the military has taught me that so many younger generations could also learn,” Hite said. “I want to be there for people who need help and listen to their problems or their accomplishments. I think a lot of students need that person.”