Around the World to Promote STEM
In 1964, Jerrie Mock became the first woman to complete a solo flight around the world, breaking gender barriers in aviation at time when few women were pilots. She went on to set numerous records, a total of 21 for speed and distance in all. Shaesta Waiz, who found in Mock both a hero and a mentor, plans to continue her legacy of breaking barriers in aviation to inspire a new generation of aviation professionals to pursue education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Shaesta, the first civilian female pilot from Afghanistan, embarked on a historic solo flight around the world on May 13, 2017 through her Dreams Soar initiative, making her the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. With the help of the Dream Team, a group of graduate and undergraduate students supporting the initiative, Shaesta collaborated with inspiring women to host outreach events focused on careers in STEM and aviation at stops along the way.
In 1987, Shaesta arrived in the United States as a refugee, fleeing the Soviet-Afghan war with her family. The second eldest of five sisters, she attended an underfunded school in Richmond, California and “didn’t really learn how to speak English until middle school.” Shaesta did not grow up with dreams of becoming a pilot. “I grew up thinking I was going to become a housewife like my mom and generations before her,” she said. “And that would be my life.”
Her horizons grew when she discovered aviation. She was accepted to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics and a master’s in aeronautical science with a specialization in management and operations.
The success of the Women’s Ambassador’s Program inspired Shaesta to make a similar impact on a global scale by founding Dreams Soar. Shaesta believes that more living aviation female role models are needed to change the statistics of women in aviation and STEM. “I think if I can use this love of aviation to show people I’m capable of doing these things, they won’t let any limiting factors make them think they are not capable of achieving something in aviation or STEM,” she said.
Supporting Shaesta are the students who make up the Dream Team. The team applies their education and talents towards building the foundation of the Dreams Soar organization, managing everything from social media to route planning and legislative communications. The team also includes an advisory council of industry professionals who help lead the Dream Team, make decisions and enlist help from the industry.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) office of International Affairs and the FAA’s Aviation and Space Education (AVSED) program supports Shaesta’s worldwide message of empowering the next generation of aviation professionals and spreading the message about women taking on careers in aviation and STEM. The FAA’s International team supports the initiative by connecting the Dreams Soar initiative to its international representatives all over the world.
Shaesta recalls flying to Indonesia with her mentor and being the only female on the crew. “A young girl ran up to me with tears in her eyes. She drives 45 minutes going to and from work every day just to be around airplanes,” said Shaesta. “That’s her passion. She wants to be a pilot but her family could never afford it and she just wanted to find a job where she is around airplanes.”
“When I heard that it made me sad and it opened my eyes that providing scholarships for young women to pursue aviation or stem in their own communities is so essential.” The team is building scholarship funding, so that any child from any country who is inspired to become a pilot can apply.
When asked about her historic solo flight, Shaesta shared, “If you are passionate about something and you want to do it, you just have to go for it. I hope this will open the eyes of a lot of women to show them that they are just as capable of doing this as I am.”
Learn more about FAA-supported STEM programs.
