Hannah Henrie
Hannah Henrie
Most people don’t think “STEM” when they hear “pilot,” but flying an aircraft is one of the most technical, math- and physics-heavy jobs out there. It belongs in the STEM education conversation, and so do the girls who want to do it.
I’m a senior at Kuna High School, and within a year I’ll be applying to aeronautical science programs so I can fulfill my dream of becoming an airline pilot. In the meantime, I’m volunteering to help more girls learn about aviation careers through Women in Aviation’s local Gem State Chapter.
I didn’t grow up with pilots in my family. My cousin Mackenzie, who worked hard to become one herself, was my first and only example. Like Mackenzie, I loved the idea of travel, of seeing new places. Flying would allow me to see the world while earning a living.
Then I hit a question a lot of girls run into in STEM fields: did I actually belong here? I didn’t hear much about women pilots growing up, and I rarely see a woman in the cockpit when I travel by plane. Women make up about 35% of the STEM workforce despite being roughly 48% of all U.S. workers. In engineering specifically, women’s representation drops closer to 15%, according to the National Girls Collaborative Project. Aviation unfortunately is similar. Women hold only about 5.5% to 6% of U.S. airline pilot jobs, according to FAA data. Somehow girls are getting the message early that this is not a career path meant for us.
Connecting with women pilots and industry professionals who want to see more girls and women succeed in aviation changed everything for me. Attending the Women in Aviation Gem State Chapter’s Girls in Aviation Day a few years ago, without knowing much about the industry, left me with a sense of what could be possible, and inspired me to intern and volunteer to put on this year’s event. This organization will also present opportunities for me to pay for my flight training and four-year degree. Women in Aviation offers dozens of scholarship opportunities to reduce the funding barrier for girls like me.
If you’re a girl (or raising a girl) curious about a STEM career, and you’ve never pictured yourself in a cockpit, an engine shop, or air traffic control, I hope you’ll come to Girls in Aviation Day on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Western Aircraft in Boise. It’s free, it’s for ages 8 to 18, and you’ll meet women doing this work right now. Register at The Gem State Chapter of Women in Aviation. See you there!
Hannah Henrie is a senior at Kuna High School and a youth intern with the Gem State Chapter of Women in Aviation International.
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