Ok, I will announce my intentions here and also on another thread.
For many of you who do not know, I grew up in an aviation family. My father is a QB and my mother, now deceased, was a 99. My stepmother is a commercial pilot and at one time flew for the Department of Public Safety here in Arizona. We have owned every kind of airplane you can imagine, from a C140 Taildragger to a Beechcraft Baron. That gives you some background, but there is more..
My mother was diagnosed with cancer in 1975. She went through treatment at MD Anderson in Houston. At the time, we thought she was cured. Due to the radiation, she lost sight in her right eye. She fought her way back, regained her medical, and in 1977 (I believe), she entered and won the Powder Puff Derby for the 99's. This, only two years after being diagnosed with cancer and losing sight in one eye. I believe the word that describes her best was tenacity.
However, she took a turn for the worse in 1978 and died after my freshman year in high school. My father and I set up a scholarship for woman aviators in her name at ASU. We did it for about 5 years, and for some reason, did not continue it. (I think it was very tough for my father, as it was a continual reminder of her death.)
Having been a part of aviation myself for so many years, and the overwhelming support of my business from the aviation industry, I want to give back to this community.
I am going to set up a scholarship for aviators. The amount I have chosen is $500; that is why I was asking how it could be best spent. While the amount may not seem like a great deal of money, I figure that every bit helps.
I will be announcing the particulars in the next few weeks in a press release which I will post here. There are certain things I will be looking for in the applicants. I want someone to receive this money who has beat the odds, who has tenacity and will do whatever it takes to make their dream of becoming a professional pilot come true. This scholarship will be for someone who is working towards being a professional aviator. It will not matter the level they are at; but I will want to see a plan.
Part of the process will be an essay, with questions that deal with your goals, how you plan to get there and what you want to use the money for to further your goal. I am probably going to limit the age range from about 20 & up, but I am not sure.
I will be disbursing the scholarship to the company of your choice, i.e., if you want to buy headsets or books, etc., I will pay for them for you. Part of the essay will be a detailed account, with prices, of what you want to purchase. The reason for this is two-fold; it helps to focus on the goal and might require some research, which will help you later in your career.
Finally, the last part of the scholarship will be the preparation of your career documents and a one-hour interview prep session. This will be over and above the $500 scholarship.
I hope I will get some participants from this board. I truly want to help our aviation community, and this is one way I feel I can do that.
Thank you to everyone on this board who has supported me. Your confidence in me means a great deal!
Kathy
