First-Ever Scholarship AIAA Has Offered To High School Students
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the four recipients of the inaugural Roger W. Kahn Scholarship – the first-ever scholarship AIAA has offered to high school students.
The Kahn Scholarship recipients will be invited to attend an AIAA event such as AIAA SciTech Forum, AIAA AVIATION Forum, or ASCEND. Each of them also will be matched with an AIAA professional member mentor to help guide them on their career path.
The four $10,000 scholarships have been awarded to:
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Natalie Bretton, Menchville High School, Newport News, Virginia
- Will Attend: University of Virginia
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Madison Chubb, Timber Creek High School, Orlando, Florida
- Will Attend: University of Florida
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Daichi Horiguchi, Mira Costa High School, Manhattan Beach, California
- Will Attend: Stanford University
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Gloria Johnson, Brooke Point High School, Stafford, Virginia
- Will Attend: Washington & Jefferson College
The Roger W. Kahn Scholarship was created to honor the memory of Roger Kahn and his passion for aviation and entertainment. Kahn (1907–1962) spent the latter part of his career at Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation as a test pilot and then managed the technical service and sales division. In the 1940s, Kahn was actively involved with the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences (one of the predecessor organizations of AIAA) and later served as its vice president.
Kahn also was an accomplished jazz musician as early as the 1920s, composing songs often featured in stage productions and early films, as well as leading numerous orchestras. He became a recording artist for some of the first record labels including Victor, Brunswick, and Columbia.
“AIAA is pleased to honor the memory of Roger W. Kahn with a scholarship supporting the next generation of the aerospace profession. Kahn’s legacy of aviation enthusiasm and accomplishment began nearly 100 years ago and will remain relevant in the next 100 years of aviation and aerospace innovation,” commented AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher. “We are thrilled to award the Kahn Scholarship to Natalie, Madison, Daichi, and Gloria and can’t wait to see how they shape the future of aerospace!”
“AIAA also introduced our new, free High School Student Membership this year as part of our commitment to becoming a vital lifelong link for these students to access reliable resources and growth opportunities. These new resources have proven popular – AIAA welcomed more than 600 high school student members already this year and received applications from over 180 high school seniors around the world competing for the Kahn Scholarship,” Dumbacher concluded.
John Langford, president of the AIAA Foundation, added, “AIAA is honored by Roger W. Kahn’s significant gift to AIAA. The AIAA Foundation is pleased to use part of it to help identify, mentor, and promote promising young aerospace talent. By offering this new scholarship for high school seniors, we can connect with students at the earliest stage of their academic journey toward a rewarding aerospace career. Scholarships are a powerful investment in the journey of students from classroom to career. As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the AIAA Foundation, we want to recognize the generosity of our members and partners who help AIAA inspire as many students and educators as we can reach.”
Applications for the 2022 Roger W. Kahn Scholarship will open 15 August. AIAA again will award up to four $10,000 scholarships to high school seniors who enroll in an accredited college or university and intend to pursue an aerospace or STEM major. Students from groups currently underrepresented in the aerospace profession are especially encouraged to apply.
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