To support young people seeking careers in business aviation, NBAA awards a number of scholarships through its NBAA Charities division. This week during NBAA-BACE, 18 students received scholarships in six categories.
Receiving the UAA Janice K Braden Aviation Scholarship, named for the late founder of Aviation Personnel International, are Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student Victoria Calderon, Baylor University student Mary Mitchell, Kansas State University students Andrew Daly and Quinton Clymer, and Daytona State College student Dione Bernard (with plans to attend Embry-Riddle).
Two students received the William M. Fanning Maintenance Scholarship named after retired a retired NBAA staff member who was active in maintenance issues during his 20-year tenure. The recipients are aviation maintenance students Leoga Fofung of the Tulsa Technology Center and Geoff Shannon of Texas State Technical College.
Four students received the Fred and Diane Fitts Aviation Scholarship, presented to aspiring business aviation schedulers or dispatchers, maintenance professionals, pilots, or flight attendants. Nobi Buntin, an Embry-Riddle student studying to become a pilot; Stephanie Tarbous, a Georgia Northwestern student in aviation maintenance technology; David Byers, a graduate of the University of North Texas who plans to use the scholarship for the Universal Weather & Aviation Dispatchers Course; and Beatrice Zhang, a corporate flight attendant who will use the scholarship for Aircare Facts training, are recipients of the Fitts scholarship.
The Lawrence Ginocchio Aviation Scholarship, created in 2001 by NBAA Charities, is awarded annually to recipients selected for demonstrating honesty, integrity, and selflessness. The five aviation management/aviation science students receiving this scholarship are: Luke McKenzie from the University of North Dakota, Brian McClure from Southwestern Illinois College, Natalie Sourbeck from California Baptist University, Kym Trice from Broward College, and Peter Nelson from Utah Valley University.
Nicoloas Hoffbauer, an Embry-Riddle student majoring in aviation maintenance management, was the sole recipient of the Eddie Queen Business Aviation Management Scholarship. The scholarship honors the memory of Eddie Queen, who was a line service technician at Signature Flight Support for 58 years.
Connyr Bennett, a Utah Valley University student majoring in aviation science/professional pilot, is the recipient of the Al Conklin and Bill de Decker Business Aviation Management Scholarship. The $5,000 scholarship was initially created to honor the memory of Al Conklin, co-founder of aviation research and consulting company Conklin & de Decker, now a JSSI company. Bennett worked as a missionary in Eastern Europe for two years before returning to the U.S. and rekindling his interest in aviation. While serving as a flight attendant, Bennett earned his associate's degree and started flight school. He is now a gate agent while also majoring in aviation science at Utah Valley University, where he expects to graduate in 2020 with hopes to work as a pilot in business aviation.
