Whirly-Girls Scholarship Fund Inc., a non-profit, educational, and charitable organization dedicated to advancing women in the helicopter aviation industry, has announced the recipients of the 2022 Whirly-Girls Scholarship Awards. The scholarships were awarded March 6, 2022 at the Whirly-Girls Annual Awards Banquet during HAI Heli-Expo in Dallas, Texas. Thanks to the support of aviation leaders, 18 scholarships were bestowed upon deserving female aviators, with a total value of over $100,000. This is the largest scholarship program in the helicopter industry.
Recipients of the 2022 Whirly-Girls scholarships are:
- Airbus Inadvertent Instrument Meteorological Conditions Training Scholarship: Mariah Dugan, WG #2230, Amory Harris, WG #2244
- Bristow Group Initial Helicopter Training: Diana Arias
- Edward M. Thurn Memorial Scholarship: Hannah Santamaria, WG #2147
- Erickson & Volo Mission Vertical Reference/External Load Scholarship: Dierdre Ratigan, WG #1976
- FlightSafety International Bell 206/407 Initial Flight Training Scholarship:Leah Murphy, WG #1956
- Garmin GTN & G500/600 Course Scholarship: Cecily Olsen, WG #2234, Lora Trout, WG #2101
- Garmin GTN Essentials 2.0 eLearning Course Scholarship: Lora Trout, WG #2101
- Garmin G1000H NXi Fundamentals eLearning Course Scholarship: Lora Trout, WG #2101
- Garmin G1000H NXi Advanced-IFR eLearning Course Scholarship: Lora Trout, WG #2101
- Krista Holstrom Memorial Flight Training Scholarship: Michelle Lambert, WG#2236
- Leading Edge Flight Academy and Central Oregon Community College Helicopter Instrument Rating Scholarship: Rebecca Torres, WG #2078
- Robinson Helicopter R22/R44 Safety Course Scholarship: Sarah Trask, WG #2251
- Robinson Helicopter R66 Safety Course Scholarship: Lora Trout, WG #2101
- Survival Systems USA Aircraft Ditching Course Scholarship: Deirdre Ratigan WG #1976
- Whirly-Girls Initial or Add-On Helicopter Flight Training Scholarship: Elizabeth Leidenheimer
- Whirly-Girls Jean Tinsley Memorial Heli-Expo Scholarship: Courtney Guinan, WG #2222
“Women hold only 6% of the pilot certificates issued in the aviation industry. The generous support of our sponsors shows their commitment to expanding the place female aviators have in the Helicopter community,” said Kim Barwick, the VP of scholarships for the Whirly-Girls Scholarship Fund. “These scholarships are our way of encouraging these exceptional women to achieve their goals and grow into future leaders in the industry.”
Whirly-Girls Scholarship Fund was incorporated to oversee and administer the scholarship funds raised by the Whirly-Girls and their Associates. Incorporated in 1974, the scholarship program has grown from a single $500 scholarship to a wide range of training and development scholarships valued today in excess of $100,000.
Whirly-Girls International is a non-profit, educational, and charitable organization dedicated to advancing women in helicopter aviation. It was founded in 1955 and currently has over 2,200 members representing 47 countries. Its goals include the promotion of women in the helicopter industry through scholarship awards, mentoring, public appearances, press releases, magazine articles and informational displays in aviation museums; the exchange of information among women in helicopter aviation; and the promotion of community acceptance of rotorcraft through increasing public awareness of rotorcraft utility and versatility.
For more information on Whirly-Girls International, please visit www.whirlygirls.org.
This press release was prepared and distributed by Whirly-Girls International.
