Scholarship Recipients: In Their Words
1/6/2025
Pearl Harbor Aviation Scholarship Recipients: In Their Words
2024 Scholarship recipients provide their experience and expertise on how to land the award.
2024 Scholarship recipients provide their experience and expertise on how to land the award
Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum proudly continues its mission to support aspiring aviation enthusiasts through our annual scholarship program. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, this initiative empowers high-achieving individuals to soar toward their ambitions and make an impact in the aviation field.
Meet a couple of the individuals who in 2024 have flourished through these scholarships:
Justin Scott: Recipient of the “For Love of Country” Scholarship
Sofia Garcia: Recipient of the “For Love of Country” Scholarship
To celebrate their achievements, we’ve created a fun and insightful Q&A with each recipient. They share a bit about their backgrounds, the application process, and how this opportunity has shaped their journeys.
Exciting news for 2025! The current scholarship season is open, with applications accepted until February 1, 2025. If you’re ready to pursue your aviation dreams, this is your chance to receive support from Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.
Apply today and share your story with the world!
We’ve asked a few of the recent recipients some questions of their background and the application process. Here is what they had to share.
Justin: Houston, TX
Sofia: Kailua, HI
Justin: My dad worked at the airport and I would go to work with him on the weekends and watch planes landing and taking off. I also would visit a lot of war and plane museums when we traveled. I think the aviation industry is growing and will always have opportunities professionally.
Sofia: When I was 8 years old, I attended Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum Flight School for Girls. Through the tours of the historical aircraft, learning about the heroes of aviation, and flying the simulator, I was hooked. This small camp had lit a spark of excitement in me. While the awe and sense of adventure got me initially interested in aviation, seeing the impact and need for pilots in my community has inspired me to pursue this career.
The gift of flight helps unite families and communities. This is especially true in the state of Hawaii where our different island communities can feel very separated at times. The value of inter-island flights became more apparent to me in my volunteer work with a prison ministry that unites outer island children with their incarcerated mothers on Oahu. Since Oahu has the only women’s prison in the state of Hawaii, flying the children in was a necessity. These special kinds of reunions and many other examples of communities coming together would not be possible without the gift of aviation.
Another experience that has inspired me to pursue aviation is speaking with a close mentor, a pediatric ER doctor at Kapiolani Hospital, about his work in treating sick children who had come from the outer islands to Oahu to receive much needed medical care. Seeing how much aviation can give to my community has inspired me to pursue a career as a pilot
Justin: Professionally, this scholarship allowed me to train without any interruption because it was enough financially to keep my flight funds in the green. Personally, I enjoyed the in person meet and greet and forever connection to Hawaii.
Justin: The biggest challenge has been financial security. I started with journey without any scholarships and quickly realized it would take me 2-3 times it should if I did not get help. When learning to fly, it is best to fly at least three times a week to prevent having to relearn and to get a good feel. However, that means having the money in your account that will allow you to fly regularly. There are only a handful of scholarships that offer enough money to cover one license or rating. Also, the time between applying for a scholarship and securing the funds can be several months. This scholarship was the largest scholarship I received, and it was crucial for funding the end of my instrument training. I was able to do my instrument rating and commercial license in a year, thanks to this and other scholarships.
Sofia: This scholarship came at a time where my motivation for training was low and I felt I was hitting a roadblock. Instrument training took more flight hours than I had intended and planned for. The Love of Country scholarship gave me the funds and motivation to finish my instrument rating and start my commercial pilot training. It was encouraging to meet people at the scholarship award ceremony who were struggling through the same thing I was. Receiving this scholarship has reiterated to me that I am not alone in this journey and there is always someone willing to help.
Justin: I am most excited about the opportunity to fly commercial knowing that there is a huge need with so many pilots retiring.
Sofia: I am extremely excited to see where the rise of technology takes the aviation industry, especially in the field of patient transport and medivac services. Modern technology has made aviation travel safer and more efficient than it has ever been and I’m ecstatic to see how it will affect patient transport and ultimately help save more lives.
Justin: So far, I have connected with representatives from Alaska Airlines / Horizon Air. If I still have flight benefits, I hope to come to more of the scholarship events in the future.
Sofia: Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum has been a pivotal part of my aviation journey. From lighting the spark with the Aviation Flight School for Girls, to helping me earn my Private Pilot’s License with the Aviation Pathways Program and now helping with instrument and commercial training through the Love of Country Scholarship, they have been with me every step of the way. Many of the people I have met through the museum have become my personal mentors and advisers, not only in aviation but in my personal life as well.
Justin: My goal is to be an airline pilot. This scholarship accelerated my training so that I will be able to graduate with my associates of applied science in May 2025 with my instrument rating and commercial license.
Sofia: My ultimate goal in aviation is to become a medivac pilot. This scholarship has gotten me through to the end of my instrument training and helped me begin a significant portion of my commercial pilot training. Since receiving this scholarship, I have passed both my instrument and commercial checkrides.
Justin: I would encourage all students to apply especially if you have any connection with the museum or love for the historical period.
Sofia: Applying and receiving a scholarship is a lot more than receiving monetary help with your training. It connects you with a community of mentors and fellow aviators who are on the same journey you are and can guide you. Just apply! You never know where it may lead you or what blessings can come from a simple application.
Justin: Yes, I would like to again thank Rick and Teresa Price, as well as other scholarship donors, and the scholarship committee for choosing me for the Love of Country Scholarship. I promise to give back to the scholarship once I am established. As Mr. Price said, “what you give always comes back” and I intend to make true on his words.
Sofia: No words can express how much your donation and support for the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum has meant to me. Your generous gift not only directly impacts all of us scholarship recipients, but it paves the way and gives us an example of how we can give back to the aviation community in the future and help the aviators behind us. Thank you for everything.
Included in our scholarship funds are opportunities for education and youth organizations. These scholarships can help with funding field trips or youth programs. Interested teachers or youth group advisors are encouraged to contact the Education Department at [email protected]
Thank you to all the recipients who have helped in the development of this blog post.
