Photo By Sgt. Adrianne Lopez | Nevada Army National Guard Soldiers give a tour of a UH-72 Lakota helicopter at the...... read more read more
The Nevada National Guard participated in outreach for the next generation of females in aviation with the ninth annual Girls in Aviation Day at MGM Resorts Aviation Hangar in Las Vegas.
More than 300 young women ages 8-18 attended GIAD, an event created to encourage young women into aviation career opportunities. Women in Aviation International partnered with the Nevada Guard and more than 20 aviation career partners for the event. Young women experienced aviation career opportunities through exposure to hands-on training from women dominating the aviation field.
Brig. Gen. Troy Havener the Assistant Adjutant General, Nevada Air National Guard, attended the event with his daughter. The Nevada Army National Guard also supported the event with a UH-72 Lakota helicopter and crew present with a static display in the hangar.
“I am the father of three daughters and I want them to know that they can have an aviation career,” Havener said. “Across the total force, there is a demand for high-quality aviation talent and it is events like this that recruit and inspire our next generation of females in aviation.”
Women have historically made up less than 20 percent of the Nevada National Guard, but that is changing. According to statistics provided by the Nevada Air National Guard's Recruiting and Retention Office, 33 percent of incoming recruits this year were women. The Nevada Army National Guard also hit the 33 percent female mark for its incoming recruits in the past fiscal year. That marks the fourth consecutive year of more than 30 percent incoming recruits being women for the Nevada National Guard.
“I was nervous when I walked in today because I have never been this close to an airplane,” said Norma, 13, who attended the event. “But after going to each activity, I was less shy. My favorite activities were flying the drone and going on airplanes. Now I want to fly airplanes when I grow up.”
The Nevada Air National Guard has set a strategic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goal to ensure that Nevada Guard’s composition is reflective of the State’s demographics — meaning more women in the force.
Earlier this month, Col. Catherine Grush, a female C-130 pilot, took the lead as the first female commander of the 152nd Airlift Wing, the only wing in the state of Nevada.
Since the very first Women in Aviation International Girls in Aviation Day in 2015, the annual WAI event has grown every year since its first gathering of 32 events and 3,200 participants.
WAI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the encouragement and advancement of women in all aviation and aerospace career fields and interests.
“Our diverse membership includes astronauts, pilots, maintenance technicians, engineers, air traffic controllers, business owners, educators, journalists, flight attendants, high school and university students, air show performers, airport managers, and many others,” WAI said.
| Date Taken: | 09.25.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2023 12:23 |
| Story ID: | 454214 |
| Location: | LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, US |
| Web Views: | 235 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Nevada Guard participates in ninth annual Girls in Aviation Day in Las Vegas, by 2nd Lt. Michelee Crawford, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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