Girls In Aviation Day Huge Success
New Jersey Wing Cadets Share Love of Aviation
During Greater Delaware Valley Girls in Aviation Day
September 10, 2022 - Twenty-four cadets and senior members from New Jersey Wing [NJWG], Civil Air Patrol [CAP] attended the 2022 Greater Delaware Valley - Girls in Aviation Day, which was held at Signature Aviation, Atlantic City International Airport. Cadets set up displays and presentations about the many Aviation, Aerospace, and STEM opportunities available in CAP which included a virtual reality in-flight simulator.
This was the 4th annual event and was open to females between the grades of K-12 and their parents/guardians. The primary focus of Girls In Aviation Day is to introduce girls to the careers and lifestyle possibilities in aviation and aerospace through meeting female role models, career panels, exploring airplanes, and a host of other events and activities.
New Jersey Wing received a surprise during the day's activities when the wing was presented with the $1,500.00 Female STEM/Aviation Scholarship Award from Aviation Influence, Inc. On behalf of the NJWG, the check was presented to Lieutenant Colonel Michael Castania, NJWG Director of Aerospace Education by Cadet Staff Sergeant Caleb Smith, a member of Maryland Wing's Bowie Composite Squadron and at 16 years old, the youngest Glider Pilot on record in the United States.
Flying in for the event was the historic vintage C-47 Douglas aircraft - Miss Virginia, which flew in the event's keynote speaker, Miss United States 2021 Samantha Anderson.
NJWG cadets in attendance were, C/SSgt Elenah Victoria Alicea, C/Amn Abigail Berkeyheiser, C/TSgt Audrey Rose Hersey, C/2Lt Allyson Kittel, C/A1C Dakota Klein, C/Lt Col Mary Moor, C/Amn Chidinma Odoemene, C/Amn Nmachi Odoemene, C/A1C Veronica Schools, C/Amn Aditi Shenoy Karkala, C/Amn Kumari Tiwari, C/Amn Varna Velmurugan, C/Amn Lindsay Walsh, and C/C<Sgt William Mares who operated the flight simulator. Also attending were many NJWG senior members who not only organized and set up this event for the NJWG cadets but also gave of their time and leadership making this activity a huge success for NJWG.
