Cascade Warbirds has revealed the winners of its 2024 scholarship program to further the aviation interests of youth in western Washington.
The 2024 winners are:
- Kaitlyn Calawa of Edmonds attends both Kamiak High School and Edmonds College. She is involved with bee keeping at Edmonds, volunteers at PAWS Companion Animal Shelter, and hopes to fly as a bush pilot doing research in remote areas.
- Lilli Gilbreath of Monroe attends Sultan High School where she takes honors and AP classes. She has volunteered at an equestrian stable and worked at Starbucks/Safeway. She aims at a career as an airline pilot.
- Brynn Hoyt of Bothell is from a large aviation family whose sister was Cascade Warbirds 2023 Advanced Scholarship winner. Brynn is a student at Bothell High School and takes running start classes at Cascadia College which will lead to an AA degree concurrent with high school graduation.
- Asher Pedersen of Camano Island attends Stanwood High School. He is from a family with long military links, including a sister who is presently at the USAF Academy. He plans to study aeronautical engineering in college and looks to an Air Force career.
- Sejal Shah of Bellevue attends Lake Washington High School. She has worked at the Seattle Aquarium the last two summers, volunteered at the National Honors Society, and is also a student at Washington Aerospace Scholars at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
For more than a decade Cascade Warbirds has teamed with several flight schools in the Puget Sound area to provide scholarship recipients with tuition, books and supplies, and two introductory instructional flights. The ground school portion comprises classroom lectures, visual presentations, group discussions, practical exercises, and field trips over a period of approximately 55 hours. Successful completion of the private pilot ground school will qualify a student to take the FAA Private Pilot Written Exam.
The scholarship, available for students between the ages of 16 and 21, is valued at $1,350.
Recognizing the cost of the flight training required for a pilot certificate, the scholarship program offers an additional $2,500 Continuing Aviation Education Grant to one scholarship recipient who intends to earn their FAA private pilot certificate within the following year. Applicants must complete the ground school course, both introductory flights, and submit an essay by Sept. 30 of the scholarship year. Funds are released to the winner of the best essay in stages as the recipient completes training milestones: $1,000 after completing their first solo flight, $1,000 after completing their long solo cross-country, and $500 after earning the private pilot certificate.
Cascade Warbirds, Squadron #2 of EAA Warbirds of America, has more than 230 members. It normally meets at the Museum of Flight in Seattle from October until flying weather returns in April.
For more information: CascadeWarbirds.org