![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ODAA-Aerospace-Students-of-the-Month-AERO-Day-2025edit.jpg\")
Col. Shelby Dreyer serves as Commander of the 137th Special Operations Wing, Will Rogers Air National Guard Base and said, \u201cThere are numerous ways to reach your goals and it\u2019s not a race\u2026but understand you have so many opportunities that are supported by the people in this room that will guide you to success and allow you to be the best in your community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After lunch on the capitol south plaza, Senator Adam Pugh welcomed students to a Town Hall Meeting in the Senate Chamber, where he shared his personal aviation story and talked to students about the workings of the Oklahoma Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAerospace and defense aren\u2019t just important to Oklahoma\u2014they are vital to our future and the safety of our nation,\u201d said Senator Adam Pugh, Edmond. \u201cThis industry is the second-largest economic engine in our state, supporting over 200,000 high-paying jobs and contributing nearly $44 billion annually to our economy. Events like Aero Day give students a front-row seat to the incredible impact aerospace has on our communities, our economy and our national security. By investing and inspiring students today, we are securing Oklahoma\u2019s leadership in aviation for generations to come. I\u2019m proud to champion opportunities that inspire young Oklahomans to pursue careers that will keep our state\u2014and our country\u2014strong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also addressing students were representatives from the presenting sponsor, Rose State College, Whitney Alvis, Dean of Workforce Development, and Travis Hurst, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt Rose State College, we\u2019re not just educating students\u2014we\u2019re launching futures. Being the only Oklahoma college certified to teach the AOPA high school curriculum allows us to help young people take their first steps into aviation careers while still in high school. Aero Day showcases how education and industry can come together to inspire the next generation of aviators and aerospace professionals,\u201d said Travis Hurst, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Rose State College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The program concluded with the recognition of the department\u2019s Oklahoma Aviation Students of the Month: Emy Tucker, Piedmont High School, Nick Rowland, Pryor High School, Brooklyn Black, Ada High School, Sophia Motalvo, Putnam City Aviation, Brenton Stidham, Yukon High School, C.J. Weeks, Ketchum High School, Brady Earsom, Duncan High School, Emery Turner, Cushing High School, Gabriele Marsh, Oklahoma Aviation Academy, and Graham Goodson, Duncan High School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Statewide Manager of Aerospace STEM Education for the ODAA, Paula Kedy, stated, \u201cOklahoma students are having a chance to walk side-by-side with state and industry leaders. By encouraging them to attend events such as Aero Day Oklahoma, we are ensuring that our students are ready to join Oklahoma\u2019s growing aerospace workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
More than 250 Oklahoma high school aerospace students joined legislators, industry leaders, and military aviators at the Oklahoma State Capitol on April 2 for the 2025 AERO Oklahoma, a day designed to celebrate the state\u2019s continued aerospace growth. Presented by the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics, the event provided students with the opportunity to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[144,98,56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aerospace-education","category-aviation-education","category-oklahoma"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31310"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31313,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31310\/revisions\/31313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}