Happy Monday everyone! I had an exciting weekend in Palm Springs. I just got back to Nebraska last night. I went to the National Gay Pilots Association’s (NGPA) Winter Warm Up Conference. I was lucky enough to even be a scholarship recipient this year. Being a female in aviation, I really enjoy seeing diversity in this industry. I have done a lot of research the past two years on ways to make aviation a more diverse industry.
Last year, a professor I look up to asked me to help her start a NGPA chapter on campus. After the tragic passing of one of her LGBTQ students and one of my friends, she confronted me and asked if I would assist her in starting the chapter in order to help all flight students feel welcomed. My professor asked for my help because I have experience with leading student organizations and I am openminded towards all people. She believed the first step in starting the chapter was to find students that were allies of the LGBTQ community that would be willing to help make everyone feel welcomed no matter their orientation.
The conference was very informational. I enjoyed spending the weekend with other students from my university who are eager to start a chapter. It was also fun to meet students from other university chapters. The conference was mainly filled with happiness, however, it was also an emotional conference. It was fun to celebrate how far the LGBTQ pilot community has come over the years, but it was also sad realizing just how much more this industry needs to go to make it an authentically accepting industry.
NGPA contributes to this case in many ways. One of them being scholarships. There were 24 scholarships awarded at this conference. I am very blessed to receive the American Airlines Advanced Rating Scholarship. I have already used some of my funds to start my multi-engine training. I am honored to be a recipient and I will never stop fighting to help this industry become more welcoming towards everyone.
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