Congratulations to the 2020 Aviation Maintenance Award Recipients

The newly-incorporated Choose Aerospace, a coalition of stakeholders pursuing greater awareness of opportunities in aviation maintenance, is proud to announce its inaugural slate of scholarship and award recipients.

A host of partner organizations sponsored $25,000 worth of scholarships, textbooks, training systems, and testing fee credits for educators and future aviators. Scholarship donors include the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA), Aviation Supplies & Academics (ASA), Nida Corporation, AVOTEK, Aircraft Technical Book Company (ATBC) and CertTEC.

Choose Aerospace also provided a $2,500 award funded by the organization’s founding steering committee members: United Airlines, Piedmont Airlines, Envoy Air, AAR, PSA Airlines, AVOTEK, Aviation Technical Services, ASA, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, ARSA, the Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance, and the Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC).

Congratulations to this year's award winners:

Choose Aerospace $2500 Scholarship: Angelina Kapp, Southern Illinois University of Carbondale

ARSA $1000 Scholarship: Craig Ritzman, Southern Utah University

ASA $1000 Scholarship:

• Amanda Colon, Lewis University
• Sophia Taylor-Home, Gavilan College

Avotek AMT Series Textbooks:

• Sufian Shaikh, Aviation Institute of Maintenance - Irving
• Ana Claudia Viertons, Aviation Institute of Maintenance - Houston
• Reni Llupa, Aviation Institute of Maintenance - Philadelphia
• Marc Jackson, MIAT College of Technology - Houston
• Matthew Finley, Hallmark University

ATBC EASA Part 66 Study Set:

• Harris Dy, Aviation Institute of Maintenance - Irving
• Rene Hermosillo Tanori, Pima Community College
• Andrea McGilvray, Hallmark University
• Xsabian Ortiz, Lewis University

ASA A&P Textbook & eBook Set: Kathryn Pena, Pima Community College

Avotek Avionics Textbook Set:

• JuliAnne Miller, Lansing Community College
• Joshua Charlier, Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics - Youngstown
• Daniel Garrett, Aviation Institute of Maintenance - Charlotte
• Trevvor Kotrba, Lansing Community College
• Tigran Melkonyan, Reedley Community College

CertTEC AET Certification Exam Testing Scholarship: Travis Rabenberg, School of Missionary Aviation Technology

ATBC A&P Textbook Set:
Jonathan Schroeder, Spartan School of Aeronautics - Denver
Thaddeus Baughman, Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics - Pittsburgh
Aiden Shih, MIAT College of Technology - Houston

Nida Training System: Middle Tennessee State University

Avotek Dale Hurst Memorial Instructor Scholarship: Carlos Smith, Middle Tennessee State University

In addition to facilitating the annual award program, the coalition has created a singular resource for students, instructors, schools, and employers to find award opportunities available to the aviation technical community. The new resource is available at www.chooseaerospace.org/industry-opportunities.html.

Choose Aerospace is actively soliciting support for the 2021 award season. To participate, or have an award program listed on the scholarship page linked above, please visit: www.chooseaerospace.org/support.html.