Scholarship Committee Updates - November 2025

Since our last edition of Flight Path, the Scholarship Committee selected Kobina Kouakou as the recipient for Ecole Nationale de l'Aviation Civile (ENAC).  Kobina, along with our previously announced recipients, Lakshmi (Lucky) Vadlamoodi from Swinburne University of Technology, Purevsuren (Puujee) Sukhbaatar from Cranfield University, Anna Moscati from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Victoria Geraldine Alcaraz Ortega from McGill University; Osmary Vega from Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology (Vaughn), Grace Nobles from Southern Methodist University (SMU Law), and Amanda Hyot from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), attended the 2025 IAWA Annual Conference where they connected, were inspired by, and engaged by the leadership of our members. We look forward to being a part of their career journey.

Following the conference, many members have inquired about the selection criteria of our scholarship recipients and I am shedding more light on this given the complexity as well as the significant work that is completed by our 10-person Scholarship Committee.

IAWA’s Scholarship Program is long-lived and identifies future leaders in the global aviation industry.  The program commenced in 2004 with a $2,500 scholarship granted to a student at SMU LAW and has since granted at total of 131 scholarships totaling $555,000 since the commencement of the program. Over the years, we have refined our criteria to ensure alignment with the US tax code where grants of funds are based upon merit – meaning that IAWA must select on a non-discriminatory basis the applicant who demonstrates leadership by providing evidence of this in the form of their transcripts and CV/resume; letters of recommendation, evidence of community service (and similar) that highlights leadership experience; and their essay highlighting how the mission of IAWA resonates with their career goals.  This is materially different than a financial needs-based scholarship where
applicants must provide evidence of financial need AND IAWA would be required to verify (in form of reviewing family tax returns or similar) the veracity of that need.  As a result of the merit-based approach, no financial information or questionnaire is provided by the applicants to the Scholarship Committee for their review and selection.

IAWA’s Scholarships are more than money and should be viewed as a prestigious award.  Each university partner selects not more than their top five candidates for submission. For IAWA, the scholarships are an investment in the future leaders of the aviation industry and identified by our eight university partners across the globe.  This is accomplished initially by providing a year of IAWA membership, travel and attendance to our annual conference, and mentoring by a board or advisory board member at the
conference where scholarship recipients build connections that foster growth and often times lead to career opportunities.  More recently, IAWA has been highlighting the success of past scholarship recipients through inclusion on panels that highlight their professional experiences – including Serafina Vitale, Beatrice Lorenzo, and Isabella Vilhena at out 2025 Annual Conference.

Moreover, many reconnect and share their experiences with each other as evidenced by the recent European Forum in Toulouse, France where current and past ENAC and Cranfield University recipients (Maedeh Ravan – ENAC 2021, Léane Mahé – Cranfield 2021, Carina Manase - ENAC 2022, Elena Galigny de Bonneval – Cranfield 2023; Paula Popp – ENAC 2024; Puujee Sukhbaatar – Cranfield 2025, and Kobina Kouakou – ENAC 2025) attended, with several participating in the planning of the event.

What we do matters and lives on in the success of others whose lives we touch.  Our Scholarship Committee includes a globally and skills diverse team:  Christine DeGagne (Chair – ENAC), Michelle Crippin (ERAU), Nicole Kappos (McGill University Air & Space Law), Kaitlyn Graham (SMU Law), Valentina Vecchio (TU Delft), Brittany Davies (Vaughn), Cristina Lewis (TBD in LATAM), Ida Eggeblad (contributing member), Victoria Mayes (Cranfield University) and Shelley A Svoren (Swinburne University.) From time to time, other IAWA members offer significant support – such as Laura Dubois, who is reviewing our MOU with the ENAC Foundation and Renata Iezzi, who assisted one of our Scholarship Recipients with her visa to attend the annual conference.  Members of the Board and Advisory board (Debra Santos, Marita Lintener, Cristiane Dart, MC Ernst, Kathleen Guilfoyle, Kaaren Cramer, Jacquelyn Gluck, and Ana Maria Blanco-Persiani) served as mentors during the annual conference and opened doors and shared their wisdom with the next generation of women in aviation. Lisa Ousley from Jet Zero additionally assisted with a unique transportation issue for our of scholarship recipients during the Annual Conference.  Most importantly, the American Airlines team, through the leadership and guidance of Kaitlyn Graham, has consistently and generously supported much of air travel needs of scholarship recipients by donating airline miles that defray this cost to IAWA.  We are grateful to all members who provide support to our committee.

In order to ensure that our partnerships remain dynamic, our Scholarship Committee members engage with university representatives.  Shelley and Christine met with the ENAC Foundation on 9/25 and spent the morning discussing ENAC’s program that addresses the global needs of the aerospace industry.  Shelley additionally spent the day at ERAU on 10/9 with the faculty and student leaders discussing IAWA and our organization’s impact.
Future events that highlight the partnership, IAWA’s members and their impact, and the impact of our past scholarship recipients are being planned.

In addition to Isabella, Beatrice, and Serafina’s activity at our 2025 Annual Conference, our past scholarship recipients continue to excel in their careers and inspire all of us to continue reaching for the stars: 

  1. Elena Galigny de Bonneval – (Cranfield – 2023 recipient) is an Aerospace Engineer at Roxel based in France

  2. Léane Mahé – (Cranfield - 2021 recipient) is currently relocating from Airbus in France to its Canadian operations

  3. Divya Kamania (ERAU – 2017 recipient) is currently a Project Engineer at Boeing based in Charleston.  She attended the 2025 Annual Conference.

  4. Emma Rasmussen (ERAU – 2021 recipient) is a Safety Specialist with NetJets and participated in the Bombardier Safety Standdown as part of their Emerging Leaders Program

  5. Margot Winters (TU Delft – 2023 recipient) is currently a Systems Engineer on Lunar Rover Mission with Space Applications Services NV/SA

  6. Eileen Kim – (ERAU – 2024 recipient) is currently interning with the National Business Aviation Association, a US based NGO

  7. Alina Santander Vinokurova (Vaughn College – 2021 recipient) is, in addition to her coursework at Stanford University and her internship at Zipline, working to become the first Bolivian citizen in space.  For more information on her quest to obtain a seat on a future Blue Origin flight, please use the following link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOEl1aJiY3K/?igsh=NjZiM2M3MzIxNA==

  8. Nifemi Awe (McGill – 2020 recipient) is currently a Senior Associate at PwC Canada and currently serves as the Secretary General of the African Air and Space Law Association

  9. Rachel Nazarin (McGill University – 2013 recipient ) is currently the Assistant Director of Legal Services at IATA and based in Geneva

  10. Rachel Pachoud (McGill University - 2009 recipient) is a Juriste with Flight Claim and based in Canada

  11. Flora Jamgotchian (ENAC – 2011 recipient) is a Work Package Leader at Airbus

  12. Ana Cristina Galhego Rosa (Leiden University – 2009 recipient) among her many accomplishments is another IAWA Scholarship Recipient Tedx speaker on the topic of Space Technology:  A Woman’s Side of the Story