~  Scholarship Corner  ~

 

By Chris Nugent 

 

I’m happy to report that the scholarship committee has completed reviewing applications for 2020 scholarships and selected 8 well deserving winners.  We had originally intended to award 6 scholarships for 2020, but we were very fortunate in that membership donations exceeded expectations, so we were able to award 2 additional scholarships! This is a great testament to your commitment to helping APA build the next generation of Arizona aviators – so “good on you” as my friends from Down Under would say!

As I mentioned last month, the overall quality of the applications was outstanding, which made the selection process that much harder. Here’s a quick summary of this year’s scholarship winners:

  • James Nebrig – James will be attending Northern Arizona University (NAU) as an Air Force ROTC cadet with the objective of attending the US Air Force Academy and entering pilot training. I’m sure many of you remember James and his Eagle Scout project at the Payson airport campground.
  • Maria Diaz – Maria comes to Arizona by way of Alaska and is working to complete her private pilot’s license prior to attending Chandler-Gilbert Community College/NDU Aerospace to earn her CFI and commercial ratings.
  • Victoria Johnson – Victoria will be attending CGCC/NDU for flight training as well.  She currently works full time as a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines and her objective is to move her “office” from the cabin to the flight deck with Southwest.
  • Sage Nelson – Sage is an EVIT senior and will start Airway Sciences at CGCC this semester with the objective of obtaining her PPL and commercial ratings.
  • Ben Alberti – Ben is an EVIT alumni and is currently working on his PPL at CGCC and hopes to eventually join the Delta Airlines cadet program. Ben was an EVIT Copperstate volunteer and was awarded a scholarship to attend Oshkosh in 2019. 
  • Tristan Sorensen – Tristan is also an EVIT senior and will be attending the Airframe & Powerplant Technology program at CGCC.
  • Tim O’Hara – Tim is currently attending Westwood High School in Mesa and will be entering flight training for his PPL at Aviation Explorers Post 352 at Falcon Field (their motto is “We teach teenagers to fly!”). Tim’s goal is to attend the US Air Force Academy and pilot training after graduating from high school. 
  • Michael Swift – Michael attends Arizona Western College in Yuma with a concentration in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).  Michael’s goal is to complete his PPL with the objective of becoming a CFI in the Yuma area.

I’ve been consistently impressed with the focus, passion and perseverance these students have shown in pursuing their aviation dreams – it’s encouraging to know that the APA scholarship program will help them achieve those dreams.  We will be inviting this year’s scholarship winners to the APA Annual Meeting on May 16 for a formal awards ceremony. I’m hoping you are planning to attend and get to meet the next generation of Arizona aviators in person!

Finally, thank you again for your generosity and continued support of the scholarship program.

scholarship corner 2020 february maria diaz     scholarship corner 2020 february victoria johnson     scholarship corner 2020 february ben alberti     scholarship corner 2020 february michael swift

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