Hello! My name is Shelly Hughes. I'm twenty-two years old, and I'm a female pursuing the dream of becoming a professional pilot. So far, I've had the opportunity to volunteer for the Loveland Colorado airshow. I served food to attendees as part of Women in Aviation International (WAI). While enjoying all the aviation fans that were stunned by the show, I also used this chance to try to get more girls to join our group. This would provide them the chance to travel with the group as well as scholarship opportunities. My aerobatics coach Dagmar was flying in this particular show, and I enjoyed seeing families' faces as her plane raced by. I would not have gotten this chance without signing up to volunteer. This allowed me to step outside of just attending my classes. I got to see what I was studying in action, and in it's coolest form. Thanks to joining Women in Aviation, I also had the opportunity to attend the most recent WAI annual conference, which was in Nashville this time. The pilots I met here at this conference were incredibly inspiring to me, because of the long journeys they endured to get to where they are today. They were kind enough to volunteer their time to tell their stories, so I helped out at this conference by attending the booths as well as managing crowd control. By helping each other out, I'm hoping to pass on the inspiration the speakers gave me to the next aviator. To do that, I focus on events that showcase how rewarding life can be when the sky is your office. One of the ways I now showcase this is by volunteering to fly with the aerobatics team at MSU Denver for airshows. This team is led by none other than the earlier mentioned world champion Dagmar, who convinced me to try out for her team. I pay for my own aircraft rental and fuel, and our team competes for judges in front of an audience. We also come up with an annual scholarship to help a lucky winner join the sport. It is an adrenaline rush to fly upside-down, and I've found some of my closest friends on this team. It was joining this sport that showed me how freeing and exciting flying can be. Once I complete my certificates required to graduate, I would like to use my flight skills to volunteer for Pilots and Paws next. They rescue animals in dire need of help, and fly them to loving forever homes. I've always wanted to be apart of this, but unfortunately flight training is not included in the tuition I pay. While I need these certificates to graduate anyway, I can't wait to later use them to help save animals.

Hello! My name is Shelly Hughes. I'm 22 years old, and I'm a junior pursuing my bachelor's degree in Aviation and Aerospace science. I want to gain my private, instrument, commercial and CFI certificates required for graduation at MSU Denver. Unfortunately, tuition only covers ground school. I have to attend a separate flight school as part of my degree requirements, which means aircraft rental starts to cost a detrimental amount. This is no reason to quit, however. My end goal is to become a successful airline pilot. I also enjoy flying aerobatics, where I have competed in airshows with the MSU Denver aerobatics team. It is an adrenaline rush of a sport, and I've found some of my closest friends on this team. It was joining this sport that showed me how freeing and exciting flying can be. Before attempting stunts in planes, I was first inspired by nature documentaries. These shows featured bush pilots that were skilled enough to fly through the most beautiful untamed wilderness I'd ever seen. This gave me a love for Aviation, photography, and the flora/fauna of the wild. These otherworldly places the pilots flew to were inaccessible by any car or boat. I knew I had to be apart of this field. As one of the few female pilots (with even fewer females attempting aerobatics), I'm hoping to inspire more women to join me in building on a passion for flying. I believe that if more women were inspired to fly, we will showcase a high level skill set from a different perspective that will help balance out this male dominated industry. So far, I've had the opportunity to volunteer for the Loveland Colorado airshow. I served food to attendees as part of Women in Aviation International (WAI). Thanks to joining this group, I also had the opportunity to attend the most recent WAI annual conference, which was in Nashville this time. The pilots I met here at this conference were incredibly inspiring to me because of the long journeys they endured to get to where they are today. I'm hoping to pass this spark the women gave me onto the next aviator. To do that, I focus on showcasing how rewarding life can be when the sky is your office. While inspiring others is just one way to make a positive impact as a pilot, I'm excited at the opportunity to volunteer for Pilots and Paws, an organization that rescues animals from a multitude of situations to provide them with loving new homes. Once I finish my training, I'll be able to utilize my flight skills to help this organization in their efforts to assist these animals in need. These volunteer events are crucial organizations, but I can also assist the economy when I'm flying for the airlines. Business, mail service, and vacation flights are part of some of the largest financial profits to the U.S. economy. Despite this demand, our industry is facing a severe shortage in pilots, causing more delayed and cancelled flights currently. This is affecting both local flights and worldwide travel. I may just be one person, but I have the determination to help fill this void. I would appreciate the opportunity to focus more on training, and less on worrying about finding the money for training. Thank you for your time! Shelly Hughes