~ Scholarship Corner ~
By Chris Nugent
As I mentioned in last month’s Scholarship Corner article, we will be taking a more in-depth look at each of our 2019 scholarship winners. I think you will agree that they are well deserving of the APA scholarship awards and will be great ambassadors for general aviation in Arizona.
Scholarship Winner: Tim O’Hara
Tim is an Air Force JROTC Cadet in his junior year at Westwood High School in Mesa, and he has his sights set on attending the Air Force Academy upon graduation. Tim is also an Eagle Scout and is currently working on his PPL at Aviation Explorer Post 352 at Falcon Field. I have been impressed with what I’ve learned about this organization, their motto is “We Teach Teenagers to Fly,” and hopefully we can highlight their good work in a future article. Tim is well on his way to his PPL with his solo and cross-country work already under his belt.
Tim has been active in the local aviation community through volunteer work at the Aviation Explorers Post and participation in the HOBY Youth Leadership program. Tim is clearly committed to achieving his goals in aviation, and I have no doubt he will achieve them.
Scholarship Winner: Victoria Johnson
Victoria is currently a student at Chandler-Gilbert Community College and is enrolled in the flight training program through University of North Dakota (UND). Victoria is also a full-time flight attendant with Southwest Airlines (her grandfather was a flight attendant on Air Force One) and her goal is to move to the flight deck with Southwest.
As you can imagine, working full-time and attending flight training can be a challenge, but Victoria still finds time to volunteer at community charity events. I had the opportunity to spend some time with Victoria at the Copperstate Fly-In, and I am confident she will do well in her aviation career.
I know that all our scholarship winners have the passion and commitment to make their aviation dreams come true. However, I know that if you are like me, you cannot help but wonder how things are going with their studies and flight training in light of the Coronavirus issue. Toward that end, I have reached out to each of them to get some feedback on their experiences… and if they need any help, I’ll provide you with an update next month.