Sky-High Determination: 17-Year-Old Jill Inspires Next Generation of Aviators
When she was in third grade, Jill started dreaming big — up-in-the-clouds big.
At eight years old, she joined her local Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties in Florida on a field trip that would inspire her dreams for years to come. The Club visited the nearby Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for their “Women in Aviation” program.
There, Club members heard from female professionals about their careers in aviation. “I loved seeing those women being successful,” remembers Jill, now 17 years old. “And then I tried the flight simulator and I just fell in love with flying.”
Her interest grew over the next decade, with the high school senior earning her student pilot’s license before she earned her driver’s license. One of the most special days in her journey was her first supervised solo flight just this past year. “At first, I was nervous, getting into the plane. But up in the sky, I just feel relaxed and comfortable,” Jill says. “It was so fun.”
Down below, Jill’s mom, Willette, watched her daughter take to the skies, feeling a parental mix of pride, awe and nerves.
Jill joyfully rocked the plane, flashing her wings to say “hi” to her family and Boys & Girls Club staff on the ground. “Of course, I’m like ‘what’s that? Is the plane OK?’” recalls Willette, laughing. “I’m proud that’s my kid up there. But come on down now!”
Aviation’s Gender Gap
While there is steep demand for women in STEM careers of all kinds, jobs in aviation often aren’t on girls’ radar.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s Women in Aviation Advisory Board says boundaries for recruiting women to explore aviation start early on. Young girls have little exposure and access to aviation with few role models in the media. Girls who do pursue aviation as a career often run into a lack of scholarships and financial aid, too few mentors and executive sponsors, as well as an industry that was designed for men — from the hiring/training practices down to the uniforms.
Getting this career interest off the ground is cost-prohibitive. Willette says, “To start, Jill had to get her student pilot’s license and now continues to work toward getting her pilot’s license. She has to meet certain hours requirements for both licenses. We have to find scholarships to help her as we factor in the cost of fuel, the use of the plane and things like that.”
With the odds stacked against them, many young women struggle to see themselves in the skies.
Consider this — when was the last time you flew commercial and saw a female pilot at the helm? It’s a rare experience, as less than 5% of commercial airline pilots are women, according to the Women in Aviation Advisory Board1. Across the multitude of aviation career pathways, women represent less than 20% of the workforce.
For girls of color, the role models are even fewer. Nonprofit organization Sisters of the Skies reports that there are fewer than 150 Black women pilots in the United States who hold airline transport pilot, commercial, military and/or certified flight instructor licenses.2
As a Black teen girl with her student pilot’s license, Jill is already breaking down barriers for the younger kids at her Boys & Girls Club. Jill’s part of the Club’s junior staff, helping kids finish their homework and get involved in afterschool programs. She’s a role model to the kids she works with and talks with them about her passion for planes. “When I talk to my students about it, they’re just so interested,” says Jill. “They’ve seen pictures of me with planes. They’ve seen me make the local Orlando news. Maybe I can spark an interest in someone else so that in this industry, our numbers can rise.”
Jill’s Journey to the Skies
How does a single childhood field trip become an enduring career interest, a growing skillset and an open door to college and the workforce?
“I never thought my kid would be flying planes,” says Willette. “Being a single parent, I needed a safe place for Jill and her younger sister so I could work. The Boys & Girls Club gives young people the opportunity to see and experience different things. Thanks to the Club, Jill has been fascinated with flying planes since she’s been in the third grade. Now, she wants to build planes. I’m doing whatever I can do to make it happen, to give her the chance to see this interest through. And the Boys & Girls Club has been instrumental in making sure no opportunity has passed by as it relates to aviation.”
After marking Jill’s passion for piloting, Stephanie Ecklin, the development director of Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties, started introducing any opportunities she could to further develop that interest. Another partnership with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University brought in a drone program where Jill got more firsthand STEM experience.
Afterwards, the Club partnered with Black Pilots of America and learned about a two-week teen flight academy in Houston, Texas. Only 16 teens across the nation are selected to participate, learning from Black aviation professionals during the intensive summer program. The Club worked with donors and local businesses to create a scholarship for Jill to enroll in the program. At the flight academy graduation ceremony, Jill’s mom Willette was flanked by Club leaders Stephanie and Lisa Ryals, the Club’s chief operating officer — three women all cheering Jill on.
“This is why I get up in the morning and go to the Boys & Girls Club every day. It’s moments like this,” says Stephanie, who’s worked with the Club for nearly a decade. Her advice for Jill? “I just want to say how proud I am of you and just keep going. Keep walking through your purpose, you got this.”
As she rounds out her senior year, Jill aspires to study aeronautical engineering and hopes to join Tuskegee University or another institution with a strong aviation program. Now that she’s had the experience of flying, she’s ready to work on planes, too.
As her mom, Willette encourages Jill to explore her passion to the fullest while keeping her options open. “We’re empowering her to be able to be that pilot, to be able to fly when she wants to. Now, she’s ready to better understand how to build a plane and step into that engineering role. It’s about whatever keeps her focused and makes her happy. I do look forward to one day boarding a plane with Jill at the helm and saying, ‘that’s my kid, flying this plane.’”
A Birds-Eye View of Community Impact
Willette also knows that wherever Jill’s ambition flies her to, her Boys & Girls Club will be there when she gets back. She says, “I know during her breaks from college, Jill will always have a place to go, work and hopefully inspire the next generation of kids.”
Jill is not the only Club alumni who’s inspiring kids at Boys & Girls Clubs of Volusia/Flagler Counties. When a news outlet in Orlando, Florida reported on Jill’s teen aviator story, news anchor Lisa Bell was a familiar face to all.
Lisa is a former Boys & Girls Club member herself, crediting the Club for helping her get where she is today, from building her confidence to earning college scholarships. Then, an opportunity at the Club changed the trajectory of her own career path — as a college student studying finance, Lisa returned to speak at the Club and was scouted by a news director to consider a role as a weather anchor. Now, she graces screens across metro Orlando.
As Lisa reported on Jill soaring to new heights, it was a full circle moment of impact for the Boys & Girls Club. “In my job, I get to see kids go from being so young, growing up at the Boys & Girls Club and taking advantage of all the opportunities in their path,” says Stephanie. “And you know, there’s going to be at least one person — and if you’re lucky, many people — within our journey where we get the chance to really see them flourish. When people ask why I do this work, that’s the answer. It is well worth it.”
From the news screen to the open sky, Willette is cheering on her daughter Jill’s journey wherever it takes her next. She’s also getting ready to support her youngest daughter’s career aspirations of becoming a surgeon. “It takes a village,” she says. “The Boys & Girls Club has put so much into my kids. And as a parent, they’ve changed my life just as much as they’ve invested in my kids.”
Helping Today’s Kids Become Tomorrow’s Leaders
Boys & Girls Clubs of America supports young people and communities year-round through safe and inclusive places, caring mentors and life-enhancing programs. Boys & Girls Clubs empower teens to graduate on time with a plan for the future. Join us in supporting the next generation of change-makers:
Sources
1 WIAAB_Recommendations_Report_March_2022.pdf (faa.gov)
2 SOS-Media-Press-Kit-Final.pdf (sistersoftheskies.org)
