“To most people, the sky is the limit. To those who love aviation, the sky is home.”
Jerry Crawford
The Women’s Soaring Pilot Association is honored to introduce the Youth Connections Corner, a dedicated space for young pilots to explore soaring opportunities, mentorship, and resources. Led by our new Youth Representative, Ishitha Arekapudi, this initiative aims to inspire and empower the next generation through school outreach, social media engagement, newsletters, and mentorship programs. Stay tuned for scholarship updates, aviation workshops, and new partnerships to support youth in their soaring journey!
About Ishitha Arekapudi, WSPA Youth Representative
A passionate aviator and advocate for youth in aerospace, Ishitha Arekapudi is the founder of Sky Riders, a national nonprofit dedicated to mentoring underserved students in aviation. Recognized with the Presidential Volunteer Service Gold Award and EAA’s President’s Award, she has dedicated herself to breaking barriers in aviation access. Ishitha’s book, Cleared for Takeoff: Bridging Gaps to Access for Youth in Aviation, shares her journey and insights into navigating aerospace careers. To further explore her book, look to the link below. As WSPA’s Youth Representative, she leads efforts in school outreach, mentorship, digital engagement, and program development to inspire the next generation of soaring pilots.
If you would like to connect with Ishitha, please reach out using Instagram or LinkedIn, both found above!
Our Mentorship Program
At the core of WSPA’s mission is to promote soaring to women, and we further strive to do this by connecting with young people and remaining pillars in their journey. Our incredible team of members is honored to work with youth and has developed a mentorship program for scholarship students to guide them through their journey. Mentors are assigned to scholarship recipients to offer encouragement and guidance. However, since this indispensable opportunity is only open to scholarship recipients, learn more about our scholarship program below! Without family guidance, at 14, I struggled to find mentors in this field and WSPA has been a crucial part of my journey beginning with being awarded the Sky Ghost Scholarship in 2022 an continuing to work with them to this day. I hope you consider joining us, we would love to welcome you.
If you would like to learn more about our program, or become a mentor with us look to the contact information below.
Cathy Keller
WSPA Scholarship Chair
scholarships@womensoaring.org
Our Scholarship Program
The purpose of the Women’s Soaring Pilots Association is to encourage women to fly gliders. One way we do this is through our scholarship program. Please note that all scholarship applications are due March 15th, while the Briegleb Scholarship Deadline, to attend the Seminar, is extended to May 15. For a detailed list of all scholarships, please visit the Scholarships tab.
As a young person pursuing her glider’s license, at 14, I could not have paid for my complete glider training. If you find yourself in similar circumstances, these scholarships are for you. WSPA has been crucial to my journey and given me the tools I needed to continue my path into this field. This could be you, too!
IMPORTANT: For additional information on Eligibility & Preparing Your Application please visit the Scholarships tab on our website.
As a past scholarship recipient, if you have any questions or concerns with your applications please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at ishithaarekapudi@gmail.com and I would be happy to guide you along. Below is a list of essential tips put together by our team.