Whirly-Girls International, a non-profit, educational, and charitable organization dedicated to advancing women in the helicopter aviation industry, has announced the recipients of the 2025 Whirly-Girls Scholarship Awards. The scholarships will be awarded at the Whirly-Girls Annual Gala during VERTICON in Dallas, Texas. The largest scholarship program in the helicopter industry is made possible with the support of aviation leaders and 46 scholarships were presented to deserving female aviators and maintainers.
Recipients of the 2025 Whirly-Girls scholarships are:
- Kimberly Gilpin - Whirly-Girls Memorial Flight Training Scholarship
- Emily O’Hara - Whirly-Girls Initial/Add-on Flight Training Scholarship
- Marjolein Pawlus - Whirly-Girls Jean Tinsley Memorial VERTICON Scholarship
- Erin Walling, Caira Zupo & Kimberlee Coombs – 3G Getting Started with Helicopters Scholarship
- Lena Maier & Munanie Mbatha – Airbus/Helisim LLC AS350 Scenario Based Training Scholarship
- Corrina Gardner & Rachael Leeson- Anastasia Mosquito Control District Ag Spray Scholarship
- Ortega Faith - Bell 407 Field Maintenance Scholarship
- Michelle Acosta - Bell 407 Series Integrated Avionics System Maintenance Scholarship
- Karen Prevette - Bell 412 Series Field Maintenance Scholarship
- Kaela Robertson - Bell 429 Field Maintenance Scholarship
- Ortega Faith - Bell 429 Integrated Avionics System Maintenance Scholarship
- Marie Jouan - Bell 505 B1.3 Field Maintenance Scholarship
- Marie Jouan - Bell 505 B2 Integrated Avionics System Maintenance Scholarship
- Shauna Wild - Stewart “Stu” Dietrick Memorial Scholarship
- Sara Lower - Bristow Group Initial Helicopter Flight Training Scholarship
- Maria Paradise - CAE SK-76 Initial Training for Helicopter ATP Scholarship
- Ionna Athanasiou – Coptersafety H145 Initial/ATP Training Course Scholarship
- Justine Nobbe - Edward M Thurn Memorial Scholarship
- Kiley Taber - Flight Safety International Bell 206/Bell 407 Scholarship
- Maria Romero-Abella, Michelle Astergard & Karina Gaynutdinova - Garmin GTN & Flight Display Pilot Training Course Scholarship
- Kasia Hayden & Lauren Hutson - Garmin Aviation Online Training Course Scholarship
- Katherine Bryson - Leading Edge Flight Academy & Central Oregon Community College Helicopter Instrument Rating Scholarship
- Jena Kendall & Ivona Redlinska - Leonardo Helicopters AW139 Flight Training Course Scholarship
- Anna Harpila, Andrea McGivray & Erin Kinsella - Leonardo Helicopters AW139 Full Airframe Maintenance Course Scholarship
- Melissa Edsel- Lora Trout Remembrance Initial or Commercial Training Scholarship
- Alexandra Ambros - MD Helicopters MD500 Flight Training Scholarship
- Izabele Bellini, Munanie Mbatha & Joanna Forrester- Oregon Aero CRM/AMRM Instructor Training Scholarship
- Holly Henderson & Mandoly Leader - PHI Aviation Bell 407 Scholarship
- Melissa Leggett - Robinson Helicopters R22/R44 Safety Course Scholarship
- Casey Campbell - Robinson Helicopters R66 Safety Course Scholarship
- Shelbi Enzenauer-Sereni & Amory Harris - Survival Systems USA Aviation Survival & Egress Scholarship
- Lisa Zumkeller - Volo Mission & Timberline Vertical Reference/External Load Scholarship
“I’m so proud of our Whirly Girl Scholarship program which continues to attract and inspire many women; some are just beginning their journey, and some have many years of experience in need of advancing their career. Every year, with the help of our amazing sponsors and board members, we’ve been able to add new scholarships and value to the program. The caliber of women applying to these scholarships is impressive and it’s very satisfying to see the long-term effects on the growth of female helicopter pilots and maintainers. I can personally attest to the impact the Whirly-Girls scholarships and community has and meeting other women in the field going through the same experience is amazing. I hope to continue to support the organization’s impact on others, in fact, I talk about it so often, now the guys at work know my spiel and are helping me to promote it too! It’s great to feel the love industry-wide.” said Annie Paya, Whirly-Girls International Scholarship Director.
The Whirly-Girls Scholarship Fund, Inc. ("WGSF") was incorporated to oversee and administer the scholarship funds raised by the Whirly-Girls and their Associates. Initiated in 1968, the scholarship program has grown from a single $500 scholarship to a wide range of training and development scholarships valued today valued today at $600,000. For more information on Whirly-Girls International, please visit www.whirlygirls.org
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