AOPA awards $1.1 million to 2021 scholarship winners

This marks the most funds the AOPA Foundation has distributed through scholarships in one year. Since 2012, the AOPA Foundation has awarded nearly $4 million in scholarships.

“We are thrilled with our generous donors and the impact they are making for these scholarship winners,” said AOPA Foundation Executive Director Melissa Rudinger. “High schoolers are able to get an early start in aviation, aviation teachers can gain a better understanding of the material they teach by learning to fly, others can continue their primary training, and already certificated pilots can work on higher ratings and certificates.”

The Ray Foundation, established by late aviator, philanthropist, and entrepreneur James C. Ray, donated $1 million for 80 high school students and 20 high school teachers to pursue a pilot certificate. Through generous donations from other individuals and organizations, more than $86,000 was earmarked for 19 primary flight training scholarships and more than $25,000 for five advanced flight training scholarships.

The AOPA High School Flight Training Scholarship, AOPA Teacher Flight Training Scholarship, and AOPA Primary Flight Training Scholarship provide funds for winners to apply toward training for their private, sport, or recreational pilot certificate. The AOPA Advanced Rating Scholarship provides funds for the instrument rating; commercial pilot certificate; and flight instructor, instrument instructor, and multiengine instructor certificates.

This year’s scholarship winners included a diverse group of pilots and future pilots, ranging in age from 15 to 62. More than 40 percent of the recipients are women, and more than 20 percent are people of color.

The scholarship program is one way the AOPA Foundation is helping to create a stronger, safer pilot community. In addition to scholarships, generous donations to the AOPA Foundation also fund the AOPA Air Safety Institute, which provides free safety programming for pilots, and the You Can Fly program, which offers aviation high school curriculum to schools free of charge, helps start flying clubs, works to improve the flight training experience, and helps rusty pilots return to the air.

Congratulations to the 2021 scholarship winners.

Abhiram Kottapalli		Adele Basturk		Aidan Stephan		Alexis Kuyoth	Allison Schlotthauer
Alondra Lopez		Alyssa Bodwin		Amisha Battacharya		Andrew Tejada	Andrew Maciejewski
Andrew Markel		Anukkah Burleson		Ari Miller		Atticus Bhat	Audrey Fuller
Bredley McWilliams		Breanna Booth		Brody Hammond		Byson Witaker	Cadence Bomgardner
Caleb French		Casey Raymond		Claudia Betten

Curtis Merrill	David Fayle	Dominic Mastromatteo	Dustin Mock	Eduard Shvyryd	Elias Kishelev
Emma Reed	Entse Hsieh	Eshan Kulkarni	Ezra West	Gianni Fowlds	Grant Lamouree
Heath Masingale	Henry McKinnon	Jack Gray	Jacob Sykora	Jayden Davis	Jeremy Blackman
Jillian Essig	Joel Mink	John Lindgren	Katherine Aldridge	Katherine McKinney	Lauren Kimball
Lilian Shen	Logan Murphy	Lucius Sinsigalli

Lukas Kleinfeldt	Luke Moitoza	Maddie Skatrud	Mahalia Phillips	Malcolm Cooksy	Maren Ritterbuck
Mariya-Aleksandr Wellner	Mateo Reyes	Matthew Sparling	Matthew Romines	Max Martin	Michael Gasper
Mitchell Montgomery	Molly Mitchell	Nicolas Pinal	Nilah Williamson	Noah Burnham	Rachel Jensen
Samuel Bennett	Sanmathi Priya Abiram Lakshmi Devi	Sean Koller	Sean Littleton	Simone Moulton	Sophie Burkhardt
Sydney Whisler	Tavian Williams	Troy Ettenson	Wesley Yuen

Amanda Woodward	Chris George	Cindy Bednara	Cynthia Martin	Darrin Vensil	Doug Adomatis
Emily Jordan	Galen Wilson	Jaime Luque	Jeremaiah Bernardis	Jim Greene	John Horvath
Joseph Riddensdale	Mark Thomas	Michael Halpern	Raymonnd Gonzalez	Robert McLellan	Trevor Scott
Vicki Wilson	William Holman

Abiodun Awosanya	C'Andre Codner	Caden Brooks	Carter Collier	DavenHorne	Diana Alberto Franco
Garett Griner	Heather Lohse	Logan Daniels	Lyra Young	Megan Laubhan	Nicholas Reyes
Peyton Watsek	Riley Combs	Taylor Pemberton	Thomas Botkin	Tifsit Teferra	Timothy Pope
Yorhara Costa

Fernanda Bertoldi

Holly Csazar

Lauren Franks

Margaret Potkey

Matthew Grunenwald