Transportation YOU Explores Aviation
By Laura McNeil and Barbara Moreno, WTS-DC
Ever wonder how airplanes are built? Or how planes stay safe in the sky? For its fall events, WTS-DC's Transportation YOU explored the aviation industry by teaming up with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology to create two virtual panel discussions.
An October 21 event moderated by FAA Field Engineer LaDonna Thompson featured four FAA aerospace professionals working in very different aspects of the field: Melanie Weddle, an Aviation Safety Inspector and Pilot; Lori Sparks, a Chief Information Security Officer; Meagan Garmon, an Air Traffic Controller; and Karen Perez, an Aerospace Engineer. Topics included what they loved about their work, the skills they learned for their jobs, and advice for students looking to pursue a similar career.
For the November 4 event, the President of Vaughn College, Sharon Devivo, interviewed two recent graduates, Grace Davis, who pursued an engineering degree, and Xylene Decoteau, whose education path trained her to be a pilot. The young graduates connected with the teen girls in the audience when they discussed how they chose to attend school focused on aviation, their experience being the first in their families to have a career in transportation, and the crucial role mentors played in their education and career. Students who attended also received a presentation from President Devivo on how to apply to Vaughn College and had their application fees waived if they choose to apply.
During both events, the discussions were interspersed with short videos visualizing the achievements of aerospace professionals that are women of color, fun quizzes, and interactive polls bringing the students directly into the conversations.
Special thanks to LaDonna Thompson and Chris Sharp, Staff Director for the Aviation Workforce Outreach Office at the FAA, and President Devivo from Vaughn College for their assistance in bringing together such diverse and engaging panelists for our students from Dunbar High School, McKinley Technology High School, and Cardozo Education Campus. Links to recordings of both events are also available to those interested in sharing it with other students.
After these successful virtual events, Transportation YOU is looking forward to future unique programming that will increase awareness and understanding of the transportation field. If you would like to get involved in future WTS Transportation YOU events, please reach out to Jasmy Methipara.