September 13, 2024. Media contact: media@raa.org
Washington, DC — The Regional Airline Association (RAA) Scholarship Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2024 scholarships, awarded to four outstanding students pursuing careers in aviation.
This year’s scholarship recipients are Corey Zendejas (Green River College/Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University), Maddie Glassett (Tarrant County College/University of Texas), Leo Lam (Spartan College), and Jacob Swisher (Auburn University). Each will receive a $4,000 scholarship to support their academic journey.
“We’re thrilled to announce scholarships for Corey, Maddie, Leo, and Jacob,” said RAA CEO Faye Malarkey Black. “Each year we read hundreds of essays and are inspired by all of our applicants. These four outstanding students gained our attention for their dedication to the aviation profession and their remarkable achievements so far. One of the greatest barriers to entering aviation careers is cost. RAA is proud to do its small part to help these outstanding students, who represent the future of our industry, overcome that barrier,” Malarkey Black added.
RAA wants to thank everyone who has supported the scholarship foundation since its inception and whose support has helped cover at least one full scholarship. Over the past year, our donors’ generosity helped us raise $14,986 total for our foundation. We would like to recognize Zachary Hall (AvAir), Envoy, and CommuteAir for their significant contributions of $4,000 or more, which fully funded an entire award towards this program. In previous years, CommuteAir, Horizon, and friends of the foundation have been top-tier sponsors donating $4,000 or more to support RAA’s Scholarship Foundation program. Moreover, in the past three years, CommuteAir’s contributions have successfully supported the program towards fully funding at least one scholarship.
Established in 2019, the RAA Scholarship Foundation supports students pursuing aviation studies by providing financial assistance. The scholarship program is a key part of RAA’s commitment to expanding and diversifying the future aviation workforce.
RAA’s ongoing mission is to inspire the next generation of aviation professionals while alleviating the financial burdens associated with education and training. Each year, the selection committee faces the challenge of choosing winners from a highly competitive pool of candidates.
We encourage anyone passionate about supporting the future of aviation to visit our Scholarship Foundation page and consider making a tax-deductible contribution to help us provide more scholarships to deserving students.
The Regional Airline Association (RAA) provides a unified voice of advocacy for North American regional airlines aimed at promoting a safe, reliable, and strong regional airline industry. RAA serves as an important support network connecting regional airlines and industry business partners. Regional airlines operate 35% of U.S. scheduled passenger flights and provide the only source of scheduled air service to 64% of the nation’s airports. Regional airlines provide more than 70% of the air service in Alabama (72%), Alaska (88%), Arkansas (75%), Maine (72%), North Dakota (87%), South Dakota (75%), Vermont (77%), West Virginia (92%) and Wyoming (73%). Regional airlines provide more than half of the air service in Idaho (70%), Indiana (56%), Iowa (63%), Kansas (69%), Kentucky (58%), Mississippi (68%), Montana (65%), Nebraska (53%), New Hampshire (58%), and Rhode Island (58%).