The Aero Club Foundation of Washington has selected TransSTEM Academy student J’La Carroll as its first annual scholarship recipient.
Carroll has attended Washington D.C.’s TransSTEM Academy at the Francis L. Cardozo Education Campus since she was in ninth-grade, where she is a regular participant in the Foundation’s brown bag luncheon series. In her application essay, Carroll credited the brown bag luncheons for sparking her interest in aviation. She recounted a discussion with an air traffic controller who inspired her to pursue a career in aviation: “He covered the following duties on a typical day: issue landing and takeoff instructions to pilots, monitor and direct the movement of aircraft on the ground and in the air, using computers, radars or other visual aids,” she wrote.
As a child, Carroll enjoyed fixing broken items around the house. “My mother would always call me to fix something that was broken or damaged, and I would get the best feeling of satisfaction when I was able to repair what was broken,” she wrote. Given her passion for fixing things, she was inspired at another Brown Bag luncheon where representatives from Rolls Royce presented students with a hands-on activity: “I recreated the airplane engine out of paper and cardboard, which really heightened my interest,” Carroll wrote, observing how the activity showed her “how crucial even the smallest screw can be in building the engine.”
“Ms. Carroll has a passion for engineering and a bright future ahead,” noted Yvette Rose, President of the Aero Club Foundation of Washington. “It is incumbent on all of us in the aerospace industry to seek out trailblazers and emerging leaders like Ms. Carroll to inspire the next generation of aviation professionals,” Rose continued.
The Aero Club of Washington will present Carroll with the scholarship award at its luncheon on June 13, 2018. Carroll will receive a scholarship award of $5,000 that will help offset the cost of tuition at Morgan State University.
The Aero Club’s June lunch will feature Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao. Learn more and reserve a seat on the Aero Club’s website.
