Women in Aviation International drew some 250 girls ages eight to 17, along with another 100 chaperones, to Girls in Aviation Day Orlando this past weekend. Held on the final day of the 31st annual Women In Aviation International Conference at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, the Girls in Aviation Day was designed to attract interest in a variety of aviation, aerospace, and STEM careers in general while providing an overall view of WAI.
Participants roamed among 20 stations that provided hands-on activities that ranged from designing an airport and learning the aviation alphabet to flight simulator opportunities, as well as virtual reality stations providing insight in everything from experiencing an air traffic control center to what it is like to take a dunk into NASA’s neutral buoyancy pool. The day also featured a career panel discussing some 10 different aviation careers, and a dozen aviation colleges were on hand to meet with prospective students.
Volunteers from industry, government agencies, and armed forces worked the stations, interacting with the attendees. And, at least half of the 100 volunteers (who were in addition to the chaperones) signed up when they registered.
The day included busloads of students brought in, along with daughters of women already in the industry. One such participant, Shelton Speakes, marked her sixth appearance at a WAI conference alongside mom Julie Speakes, who represented Liberty University. But she noted that this was Shelton’s first time as an official attendee at Girls in Aviation Day.
Shelton Speakes said she was having fun and hoped to come back. But her interest is in a STEM career, rather than aviation—she hopes to become a doctor, complementing her sister, who is a nurse. She is no stranger to hospitals, spending time at St. Jude Children Research Hospital with a rare form of brain cancer. Other participants expressed interest in everything from flying to engineering careers. Each participant received t-shirts, a drawstring backpack, and a WAI Aviation Girl fun patch.
WAI will hold its international Girls in Aviation Day on September 26, which will feature similar events at venues worldwide. The 2019 version attracted nearly 20,000 attendees.
