Students launch a chapter of Women in Aviation International

Kesha Williams
November 11, 2014

ECSU’s newly formed chapter of Women in Aviation International (WAI) recently reached a milestone when they attained official, provisional chapter status. The chapter is comprised of students, faculty, community partners and U.S. Coast Guard members. WAI began in 1990 and was formally established in 1994 to encourage women to seek opportunities in aviation. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, of the nearly 600,000 active pilots in the United States, approximately six percent are women. Slightly more than four percent are Airline Transport Pilot rated. Women account for only 4.28 percent of the more than 700,000 non-pilot aviation jobs in the United States. The charter members and executive board include ECSU Aviation Science students Elisabeth Golden, president Eden King, vice-president Victor Aguilera, treasurer, and Anjelica Roverso, secretary. Orestes Gooden and Robin Mangham, lecturers in the Aviation Science program, serve as chapter advisors. Dr. Kuldeep Rawat, department chair and director of the Aviation Science Program, said the student body and advisors worked extremely hard over the past year to obtain this provisional status. &quotThe group committed tireless hours to community service and fundraising activities. These activities included mentoring during the Aviation Career Education (ACE) summer camps and chaperoning several Aviation Science field trips,&quot Rawat said. &quotOur goal is to increase membership and promote aviation opportunities for all interested parties in the state.&quot WAI has regional chapters in ten countries. The Northeastern North Carolina chapter is the only WAI chapter in the state. Rawat said the chapter will give ECSU students and other members an avenue to network within the industry. It will also provide over $500,000 in scholarships to qualifying applicants. photo by Kesha Williams