Nearly 200 students attended the 16th Annual “The Sky’s the Limit: Aviation Career Day” event, which was presented by Van Nuys Airport (VNY). This annual event, which was held virtually for a second consecutive year, provides a forum for local high school students to learn about the wide variety of career paths available in an airport environment directly from engaging leaders of organizations in the dynamic aviation and aerospace industries.
“Aviation Career Day exposes students to high paying careers right in their backyard,” said Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez, Council District 6. “I’m glad that Valley students have this unique opportunity to network with important industry leaders as they explore career options.”
“Aviation offers an endless variety of career paths, from pilots and support crews to engineers and architects, and we are proud to share our passion for this work with students,” said Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles World Airports. “The Van Nuys Airport Aviation Career Day offers students a glimpse of working at one of the busiest general aviation airports in the world, and we thank our partners for sharing their time and knowledge with these future leaders.”
This year’s event was co-hosted by City Council President Martinez, VNY and the Valley Economic Alliance. The program featured more than 20 organizations, with representatives using breakout sessions to share information about their organizations, careers and personal stories. This year’s program was supported by the Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce and staff from SongDivision.
Following welcomes from Council President Martinez and CEO Erbacci, students were able to choose between concurrent breakout sessions with different speakers. Among the speakers were Nancy Herrera, who shared her professional journey from attending North Valley Occupational Center to currently working at JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory). On behalf of LAWA, students also heard from VNY Airport Director Flora Margheritis, who discussed her path started with an internship with LAWA and led to becoming director of one of the busiest and innovative airports in the nation.
Attending organizations included LAWA, the Los Angeles Airport Police Division, Los Angeles Fire Department, Aerolease/Aeroplex, Clay Lacy Aviation, the U.S. Navy, Sun Air Jets, the Federal Aviation Administration and others. Participants were also treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the history and daily operations of VNY.
More than 20,000 students have participated in annual Aviation Career Day events since the first one held in 2006.
