Local K–12 students and their families flocked to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Flight Training Complex on Saturday, Sept. 20, for the university’s seventh Girls in Aviation Day (GIAD) celebration. The annual event, part of the global Women in Aviation International network, is dedicated to empowering young women to explore the boundless possibilities of an aviation career.
Sponsored by the Prescott Campus College of Aviation and organized by Ground School Training Manager Morgan Condie with support from Embry-Riddle aeronautical science undergraduates, GIAD offered a runway of opportunity to local youths interested in aviation.
“It gives us a chance to teach and connect with the younger generation,” said Victoria Gonce, president of the Women in Aviation Embry-Riddle Prescott Chapter and an aeronautical science major who helped lead the effort. “We love seeing the smiles on kids’ faces throughout our activities.”
The day welcomed girls from kindergarten through 12th grade and their parents into Embry-Riddle’s spacious hangar to meet aviation professionals and hear inspiring stories.
Among the highlights was a keynote from Kim Ernzen, Chief Operating Officer of StandardAero, who shared her journey through the aviation industry and encouraged attendees to chase their own ambitions.
Hands-on exploration was everywhere. Participants participated in a scavenger hunt, interacted with aviation-themed vision boards, investigated the inside of an airplane engine and built paper airplanes before climbing inside a static Cessna 172 for a pilot’s-eye view of the flight panel. Guests also tried an Air Traffic Control simulation and toured campus facilities.
Embry-Riddle’s Flight Department also donated a free discovery flight, awarded to one lucky girl through a raffle drawing, giving the winner a chance to take flight with a certified flight instructor and experience real flight over Prescott.
Optional post-event activities included a guided visit to the Robertson Aircraft Accident Investigation Laboratory and a full-dome show in the Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium.
Elementary students delighted in the crafts and activities, while older visitors gravitated to the university’s full-motion aircraft simulators and technical demonstrations. Throughout the day, girls connected with pilots and peers, learning, sharing, and imagining their own paths to the sky.
For many, the experience may prove to be only the beginning.
“Our goal is to educate them about how cool it is to be in the aviation community,” Gonce said, noting that some participants left with new dreams of studying at Embry-Riddle or pursuing careers in aerospace.