This past July , Zsoee flew the TeenFlight 7 aircraft that she worked on , all the way to Oshkosh , Wisconsin for the giant annual AirVenture event .
Another TeenFlight student , Paige , took her first flight at thirteen years old and immediately fell in love with aviation , but was deterred by the price tag . She was able to join the first TeenFlight cohort finishing their plane and immediately signed up for the second cohort . TeenFlight became the springboard for Paige ’ s career in aviation . She quickly became one of the most dedicated students in her cohort , staying late on weekends and coming to the hangar during the week . “ If the mentors were at the hangar , I was there .” Several years before Zsoee ‘ s cohort flight trip , Paige also had the amazing opportunity to fly a TeenFlight aircraft cross-country to AirVenture . “ Landing at Oshkosh just felt like this ultimate capstone to my experience as a TeenFlight student . It was only natural to come back as a mentor on the next build .”
Paige went on to study mechanical engineering and computer science at Portland State University . After taking some classes , she realized that her current path wasn ’ t aligned with her goals so she took a break from university . “ I think stepping away from that traditional path of university benefited me in so many ways . I had this opportunity to branch out and find my niche and I worked on a wide range of aviation operations .” Paige worked on experimental aircraft , but everything fell into place when she decided to join the U . S . Army , where she now flies Blackhawk helicopters . Paige regularly uses the expertise and confidence she developed in TeenFlight as she flies her daily missions .
Whether these TeenFlight students go on to careers in aviation or accounting , they have all learned valuable life skills that will benefit them in their next steps . Sometimes opportunities can emerge accidentally , while others take careful planning .
Not everyone will have a plan that stays the same from start to finish , but everyone should be open to different opportunities and be flexible when finding their own interests and passions . TeenFlight , along with all of ASK ’ s programs , embraces this spirit of exploration by helping students connect their passions to their career paths . If you are interested in learning more please visit airsci . org or email info @ airsci . org .
26 LET ’ S GO AEROSPACE