Past Recipients
2007 Scholarship
Recipient
Julie Falsken from Riverside, CA
Julie has just completed her first solo cross country on 8/15/07. She was extremely nervous but it went very well and it was a great sense of accomplishment. She flew from Prescott to Kingman, Arizona and back. She says "Every day brings a new experience and every day I am more and more excited about my future career in aviation."
Essays from Scholarship Application
Essay #1: Describe your present goals, your goals five years from now, your ultimate goal. How do you anticipate achieving each of them?
Attending college has always been a dream of mine. Every class I take is with college in mind. I have filled my schedule with Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes in order to challenge myself, and to help to prepare myself for the demands of college. During my freshman and sophomore years I took all of the Honors classes offered. In my junior and senior years I cut back on a few of the Honors classes in order to focus more on my math and science classes; because, those are the areas that I am most interested in pursuing in college. Furthermore, one of my true passions is in aeronautics, so I took a small engines class my freshman year to give me hands on experience and knowledge of how engines operate. I take school very seriously, and I have worked extremely hard to be successful in all of my classes so that I will be prepared for college. In addition to being in the top of my class academically, I have also lettered in three varsity sports each year for the past three years in an attempt to be more marketable for college. My goal is to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where I hope to receive a partial athletic scholarship to play soccer for them, which will help to offset part of the tuition. Five years from now my goal is to have graduated and started toward a career in aviation. My ultimate goal is to one day become a pilot. In addition to working in a profession that I love, I hope to use my skills as a pilot to help non-profit organizations. I would also love to have the opportunity to pass on my love and passion for aviation to the younger generation.
Essay #2: Where did your desire to fly originate? Are there any individuals, events, or life experiences that have led you in this direction?
One day, while at an air show at a local airport, I met a man by the name of Jim Anderson. He was working with the Young Eagles Organization, which is an organization created to get children interested in aviation. Well, I have always loved airplanes and just being at the airport, so when he asked me if I wanted to take a flight with him I jumped at the opportunity. I was thirteen at the time and it was this one flight that changed my life. He took me up in his plane and even let me take the controls for a while. The feeling of freedom I had when I was flying was a feeling I knew I could not just experience once. When I was at the controls I felt like I was on top of the world, like nothing could stand in my way. It was from that moment on that I knew aviation was going to be a big part of my life. Up until that day, I never really knew what I wanted to be when I grew up; but, after I stepped out of that plane I knew that I wanted to fly. I remember telling my mom on the ride back home that I finally knew what I wanted to do as a career. I was going to become a pilot, no matter what I had to do to achieve this goal. By attending other air shows I have also learned of non- profit organizations that help to arrange for free air transportation in response to emergency health care situations. In the future I can see myself working with organizations such as these providing help for those in need.
Essay #3: Why do you want to become a private pilot? How important is it to you to learn to fly?
Flying is one of my greatest passions. When I took my first flight in a Beechcraft Debonair four years ago it was an experience that would change the whole course of my life. As a thirteen year old, I was definitely not focused on my future, but this flight changed that. From that point on I knew that I wanted to fly and I wanted to make it a career. Instead of going to the movies and hanging out with friends I suddenly found myself interested in something much greater, aviation. I subscribed to aviation magazines and became a member of AOPA. I did everything possible to increase my knowledge of aviation. I even participated in a ground school class given at a local Junior College to make sure that aviation was the path I wanted to follow. These classes only enhanced my interest. The more I learned the more I wanted to know. This helped to confirm what I already knew, a career as a professional pilot was indeed my goal in life.
There is nothing more exhilarating than flying. It fosters a feeling of freedom, and a feeling of success. Although I know it will be hard work, I know that I have the determination and will power necessary to accomplish this objective. I am a very driven person and I don't give up easily. This is true not only in flying, but in everything I do. If I start something I do not stop until I am finished and have done it right. I think I would be an excellent candidate for this scholarship because I will bring my determination and drive and share it with everyone I encounter. I am guided by a quote from Eddie Rickenbacker, "Aviation is proof, that given the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible." I feel I will prove to be one of those people, because I have the will needed to fulfill my dream of becoming a pilot.
For the past four years I have thought of nothing else but flying. My life's goal is to one day become a commercial pilot; so, I have painstakingly made choices for my education that will ultimately lead me to my final destination. The classes I have chosen reflect a real desire to learn as much as I can to assist me for future use in aeronautics. I am willing to do whatever it takes to reach my goal, and getting my private pilot's license will definitely be a huge step towards fulfilling my dream of being a professional pilot
2006 Scholarship
Recipient
Letter from Courtney Vidt, December 17, 2007:
Dear Leroy W. Homer Jr. Foundation,
I wanted to drop a quick hello and thank you again for the amazing opportunity that you have given me. I hope all of you are doing well and I am glad to hear another young lady was chosen as the recipient for your scholarship this year. It is a privilege to be a part of keeping the memory alive.
As for me I am enjoying my first year at the United States Air Force Academy. I currently am in squadron 34 the “Loose Hawgs” and was please to hear that I am close to Mr. Homer’s squadron, squadron 31, the “Grim Reapers.” It was really surreal the first time I ever walked into their squadron, knowing that Mr. Homer walked the very same halls and ran the very same strips as a freshman. Being here is an incredible experience that challenges you mentally, physically and emotionally. I wouldn’t give it up for the world and feel truly blessed to be here. I still am pursuing a career in aviation. I hope to be given the opportunity to soar this summer and hopefully upgrade to a soaring Instructor Pilot sometime next year, but I won’t know for sure it I will be given that opportunity till spring. However my goal is still to follow in my father’s footsteps and fly fighters, maybe even someday to be leading the Thunderbirds.
I wanted to let you know that Mr. Homer’s memory is still alive here at the Academy. Besides having his name in the War Memorial Wall, there is also a memorial in the squadron activities room of squadron 31. I wear a stainless steel memorial bracelet every day with his name engraved on it (like the POW MIA bracelets) It motivates and inspires me to do my best in everything I set out to do.
Very Respectfully,
Courtney Vidt
About Courtney
Courtney Vidt of Vacaville, CA, was selected as a 2006 LeRoy Homer Jr. Foundation scholarship recipient. Herselection as the scholarship recipient was based on her outstanding academic achievements, community involvement and her intense desire to fly. Courtney began training in the late spring and is currently nearing the completion of her private pilot training. She has completed almost all of the requirements for her license with just 1.5hours of hood time left (simulated instrument flying) and some check-ride prep. She is expected to complete her training this month! Courtney has progressed wonderfully in her flight training and reports that she is having a blast! Her favorite experience so far has been her cross-country flights. During one of these flights she flew up to her Grand-mother's house, located in a small airport community for their annual Labor Day Fly-In BBQ. “The entire experience has been amazing and I feel truly blessed to have been given the opportunity to pursue this dream,” says Courtney. She has also just received a nomination to the US Air Force Academy under the status of Deceased and Disabled Veterans. She has also applied for a Congressional nomination and a JROTC nomination. She is now waiting for a letter of acceptance from the Academy itself as she completes her flight training.
Updates on Past Scholarship Recipients
Sarah Lemmer
Sarah Lemmer is currently attending San Jose State University where she is working on her B.S. in Aviation with an emphasis in Flight Operations and a minor in Business. She is still working for N.A.S.A. Ames as a student research assistant/pseudo pilot. Something which she was fortunate enough to participate in this past summer was a two week study tour of China and Taiwan. Her future career goals concerning aviation used to have a focal
point within the United States. Sarah states “ I can truly say, from the bottom of my heart, that this Foundation not only aided with my choice of upon which road I wished to tread in life, it built bridges. From you I learned that the only way to both positively affect and become positively affected by that which devastates your life is to adapt to change and focus not on past, but upon the future and new possibilities. In this delicate industry of aviation I feel that we have the choice to either take charge or play victim, to change or resist. You chose change, you chose hope. You decided that the world could still be saved, that there were still some people worth helping, and for that
I am forever grateful”. Thank you Sarah and we wish you continued success as you pursue your dreams!
Michael Hames
Currently Michael Hames is a junior at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida majoring in Aviation Management with Flight. He received his Instrument Rating last April and he hope to receive his commercial pilot certificate in less than a month. While attending school, he has been working at a fixed-based operator(FBO) that sells fuel for general aviation planes and private jets. Next week he will be attending an internship interview with ExpressJet Airlines in Houston for a possible internship opportunity with them in the Spring or
Summer. Best of luck to you Michael in your future endeavors!
Kevin Carney
Kevin Carney has had a very busy year since he received his Private Pilot certificate from the Cessna Pilot Center at
Mansfield (Massachusetts) Airport. He is continuing with his studies in Aviation Science at Bridgewater State College
we are proud to say that he has been awarded Dean’s list status. As part of his program, he is enrolled in the Delta
Connection Academy at New Bedford Airport. He received his Instrument Rating in February and his Commercial Certificate in September. He is currently enrolled in the CFI program. During the summer he worked for Noreast Aviation at New Bedford Airport. He helped provide fueling and other customer service to the many small aircraft (including Cape Air and private planes) that fly to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. The more he learns in the field of aviation, the greater his enthusiasm for flying. We wish Kevin continued success.
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