UVU enabling women to pursue aviation careers
Shay Bowen, a certified flight instructor, Tristan Mazzu, a professional pilot student and Carly Hassard, an aviation administration student, all pose for a photo at UVU.
Tristan Mazzu, a professional pilot student, poses for a photo at UVU.
Carly Hassard, an aviation administration student, poses for a photo at UVU.
Shay Bowen, a certified flight instructor, poses for a photo at UVU.
Tristan Mazzu never considered a career in aviation. Now in her junior year at Utah Valley University, she is pursuing a dream she intends to make a reality. After flying planes with her father, Mazzu discovered her passion for aviation. Serving as president of the UVU chapter of Women in Aviation International, Mazzu hopes to help other women consider careers in aviation as well.
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“Women in Aviation has made such an impact on me as a student and a pilot. It is so great to have the support of other female pilots as we go through our training together,” Mazzu said. “It has also been such a wonderful experience to have female flight instructors teach me how to fly and be huge role models for me. I know as a future pilot, I will have the support from the WAI organization and females who have the same dream I do. I can’t wait to be flying with some of the amazing female aviators we have today.”
Mazzu hopes to pursue her dream of obtaining a position as captain with a commercial airline. As president of WAI at UVU she hopes to expand the club’s reach and to help inspire and educate women on the career opportunities available in the field.
“My hope is to create a support system of females in the aviation industry and to have the opportunity to spend time with women who have the same goals as myself and to support them in their aviation careers,” Mazzu said.
According to Ryan Leick, assistant professor of aviation, the amount of women who pursue a career in aviation is consistently around 10 percent.
WAI is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to providing education, networking opportunities and scholarships for women, and men, who are pursuing careers in the aviation and aerospace industries.
“Many WAI members have gone on to be flight instructors after graduating from UVU on their way to regional airline pilot careers,” Leick said. “The UVU WAI chapter has yet to have any female graduates pursue careers in aviation management, but the opportunities are wide open for those that want to marry their passion for aviation with a career in operations, marketing, finance or other business fields at an airport or airline.”
In order to further educate and encourage more women to take an interest in an aviation career, a page dedicated to WAI and some of its female students is posted on the department’s web page. Here, information can be found about some of the work female students are doing within the program. According to Ryan Tanner, director of Student Support at the School of Aviation Sciences, the page is meant to draw attention to the opportunities that are available for female students in aviation.
Some of the women featured on the page include Sade Gold, a certified flight instructor from UVU; Julie Hafen, a UVU graduate who is a pilot for SkyWest; and Mazzu, a current student in the program. Along with photos of the women and facilities, online videos feature the young women sharing their thoughts and exactly what it is they do in the aviation industry.
Mazzu says she is excited to see what the next year brings for women within the program.
“Next year, I really hope to expand our club. UVU has recruited a lot of women for next year,” Mazzu said. “I am excited to meet these incredible young women and to be able to really get to know them and assist them in any way that I can.”
Tanner hopes this site will help to inspire young women to take interest in the aviation program at UVU, and to lessen the gap between the amount of men and women who work in the industry.
“Attracting more women to the profession is key to finding a solution to this industry shortage we are facing. Even with more equality in the business world, very few women enter the aviation management field where their adeptness for attention to detail and levelheaded approach to problem solving are preferred by employers,” Tanner said. “Airport, airline and corporate aviation management offer a more traditional work schedule with less travel involved, which appeals to women looking to balance their professional careers with life and family demands.”
For more information, visit uvu.edu/aviation/program/women-in-aviation.html.
