Women in Aviation Conference Achieves Milestones As Nigeria Breaks Record.
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Scholarship Aeroism Training. Photo by Chris
Miller, winners Maria
LeBlanc and Esther Mbabazi, presenter Rick
Brown
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| Aerial view of the exhibit hall. Courtesy: WAI |
Speaking
on the weeklong event, WAI President, Dr. Peggy Chabrian, said: "Thousands
of women made powerful connections this week that will enhance their lives and
careers for years to come," adding that, "Attendees and exhibitors
alike agree that we continue to raise the bar for energy, support, enthusiasm
and camaraderie."
In
the exhibit hall, companies and organizations remained busy fielding questions,
showing off products, signing up new clients, renewing relationships with
existing clients, and making connections with conference-goers. General Sessions
were held on Friday and Saturday with both afternoons reserved for a selection
of education sessions.
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| Girl Scout flag ceremony at WAI 2016. Courtesy: WAI |
For
many attendees, a WAI conference means an opportunity to connect with airlines.
Hence, the WAI Fast Pass program was enhanced continually so that preregistered
attendees could have a timeslot for their interviews, thus eliminating long
lines in the exhibit hall. At this year's conference, 4,640 Fast Passes were
issued to 2,064 members. The Fast Pass allows conference-goers to sign up in
advance for interviews and briefings by airlines which are held in meeting
rooms rather than in the exhibit hall.
Furthermore,
WAI's successful youth outreach, Girls in Aviation Day, continued in Nashville.
Since many of the girls taking part in Girls in Aviation Day are local Girl
Scouts, WAI introduced - and awarded to the Scouts - a Girl Scout Fun Patch
depicting an airplane with "Aviation Girl" on it. Nearly 300
participants were introduced to aviation through a dozen aviation inspired
hands-on activities, meeting with role models from all aspects of aviation, and
luncheon speaker Dr. Rhea Seddon, astronaut and author.
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| Girls in Aviation Day. Courtesy: WAI |
One
of the favorite activities for the girls was crafting wire bracelets with tools
and guidance from the Association of Women in Aviation Maintenance (AWAM). In
the afternoon, the girls went on a scavenger hunt in the exhibit hall to engage
with exhibitors and attendees. WAI notes that this important program will
continue with WAI's global Girls in Aviation Day on September 24, 2016, where
local WAI chapters will plan and execute their own unique events for girls 8 to
17 years old. "Our members have enthusiastically embraced Girls in
Aviation Day and are eager to serve as role models, answer questions and
generally welcome the girls to the aviation community," says Dr. Chabrian.
"We are all thrilled to be the ignition source for aviation careers and
interests."
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| Girls in Aviation Day. Courtesy: WAI |
Several
record breaking milestones were achieved at this year’s conference. Attendance rose
to nearly 5,000 individuals, including 91 international attendees representing
16 countries (including the United States), with the largest number of
international attendees from Nigeria, Canada, and Ghana respectively. Secondly,
the exhibit hall hosted 170 separate companies and organizations (breaking a
WAI record for most exhibitors), representing all aspects of the aviation
community.
An
impressive 126 scholarships were distributed to WAI members at every stage of
life from university students to mature members seeking a mid-life career
change to aviation. A total of $661,234 in scholarships were awarded, which put
the total scholarships awarded at more than $10,000,000 since the inception of
the scholarship program.
Another
significant milestone achieved by the 2016 conference was in the area of
establishing new chapters. The WAI chapter network topped 100 global chapters
as groups from as close as Grand Rapids, MI and as far away as Ghana, completed
paperwork to form their local WAI chapters.
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| Beechcraft Tour Group Photograph. Courtesy: WAI |
As
a way of accomplishing its goal to Connect, Engage, and Inspire, the Saturday
night's closing banquet stood out this year as WAI celebrated awarding
$10,000,000 in scholarships since the inception of its scholarship program in
1995. British aviatrix Amy Johnson; Brenda Robinson, the U.S. Navy's first
African-American female pilot; Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger and the women of U.S.
Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 77-08 were all inducted into WAI's
International Pioneer Hall of Fame.
The
28th annual International Women in Aviation Conference is scheduled to hold on March
2-4, 2017, at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort.
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