104 PROFESSIONAL WOMAN'S MULTICULTURAL MAGAZINE WWW.PROFESSIONALWOMANMAG.COM
WOMEN IN STEAM
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o!3127-!Cfmhjvn!uffobhfs-![bsb!Svuifsgpse-!cfhbo! training to become a pilot at just 14 years old. Af- ufs!tjy!zfbst!pg!usbjojoh-!Svuifsgpse!hbjofe!ifs!qjmput! mjdfotf!jo!3131!boe!qmboofe!ifs!stu!gfbu!bt!b!qjmpu;! cfdpnf!uif!zpvohftu!xpnbo!up!z!tpmp!bspvoe!uif! world. Now, just two years after receiving her license, Svuifsgpse!ibt!bddpnqmjtife!ifs!hpbm/!Bgufs!266!ebzt! pg!usbwfmjoh-![bsb!Svuifsgpse-!bu!bhf!2:-!jt!uif!tfdpoe! zpvohftu!qfstpo!up!z!bspvoe!uif!xpsme!tpmp-!ofyu!up! qjmpu!Usbwjt!Mvempx!xip!dpnqmfufe!uif!kpvsofz!bu!29! years old. Po!Bvhvtu!29-!3132-!Svuifsgpse!tfu!pvu!po!ifs!wf. npoui!kpvsofz!up!z!bspvoe!uif!xpsme!bcpbse!b!Tibsl! UL aircraft, a single engine, low-wing, lightweight airplane. Although the journey was only planned to mbtu! bcpvu! uisff! npouit-! Svuifsgpse! eje! opu! sfuvso! ipnf!voujm!Kbovbsz!pg!3133-!bcpvu!wf!npouit!bgufs! her departure due to many unforeseen complications, nbjomz!evf!up!cbe!xfbuifs/!Jo!bo!joufswjfx!xjui!OQS-! Svuifsgpse!sfdpvoufe!jotubodft!pg!ofbs!njtt!mjhiuojoh! strikes in Singapore, thunderstorms near the equator and severe turbulence and fogginess from the Califor- ojb!xjmesft/!Svuifsgpse!bmtp!ibe!up!tqfoe!vofyqfdu- ed, extended time in Texas while she waited for her visa to renew, route detours around China due to the country's strict COVID-19 restrictions, spent weeks jo!b!tnbmm!wjmmbhf!jo!Tjcfsjb!boe!fodpvoufsfe!ejgdvm- uz!dpnnvojdbujoh!xjui!bjs!usbgd!dpouspmmfst!jo!Tfpvm/! Jut!cffo!b!mpoh!wf!npouit!!sfbmmz!ejgdvmu-! Svuifsgpse! upme! OQS! ofbs! uif! foe! pg! ifs! kpvsofz-! "I'm looking forward to seeing my family again." Cvu!bmpoh!xjui!uif!vogpsftffo-!Svuifsgpse!fyqf- rienced just as many fond memories, making stops jo!52!dpvousjft!boe!wf!dpoujofout!pwfs!uif!dpvstf!pg! 39-111!obvujdbm!njmft/!Jo!gbdu-!Svuifsgpse!opufe!ifs! time in Siberia as one of her fondest memories, telling OQS-!Jut!wfsz!sfnpuf-!boe!Jmm!qspcbcmz!ofwfs!hfu!b! dibodf!up!tff!ju!\bhbjo^!jo!nz!mjgfujnf/!Svuifsgpse! additionally cited Alaska, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia as some of her favorite locations for their beautiful landscapes and the kind people. Vqpo!ifs!bssjwbm!po!Kbovbsz!31-!3133-!Svuifsgpse! not only accomplished her goal of becoming the zpvohftu! xpnbo! up! z! bspvoe! uif! xpsme-! cvu! bmtp! cfdbnf!uif!stu!xpnbo!up!djsdvnobwjhbuf!uif!xpsme! jo!b!njdspmjhiu!bjsdsbgu!bt!xfmm!bt!uif!stu!Cfmhjbo!up! circumnavigate the world solo in a single-engine air- craft. "It's just really crazy; I haven't quite processed it," Svuifsgpse!upme!sfqpsufst!vqpo!ifs!mboejoh-!Ju!ublft! a lot of time, patience, a lot of work, but it is incred- ible." Ifs!kpvsofz!xbt!tvqqpsufe!cz!Tibsl/Bfsp-!xijdi!
A Real Fly Girl
Belgian Pilot Reaches New Heights with Record-Breaking Flight
By Natalie Rodgers
provided her aircraft, and included sponsorships and qbsuofstijqt! xjui! Sjdibse! Csbotpot!Wjshjo! Hspvq-! Cfmhjvnt!TbgfTlz!boe!UND!Hspvq/!Svuifsgpse!bmtp! partnered up with several women and STEM non- qspu!hspvqt-!eftjsjoh!up!jotqjsf!puifs!zpvoh!hjsmt!up! gpmmpx!uifjs!qbttjpot!jo!uif!TUFN!fme/!Bnpoh!ifs! partners were Girls Who Code and Dreams Solar. "Basically, my dream is that in the future, if a girl wants to go into aviation or wants to go into engineer- joh-!jut!opu!tqfdjbm-!Svuifsgpse!upme!OQS-!Jut!kvtu! like, 'Oh, cool, like, just another person who's doing a cool thing with their life.' But it doesn't matter what gender they are."
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