It’s been a busy and successful first year for the Women in Aviation International soFLY Southern Tropics chapter. The leadership of the group—which represents the region of Southern Florida and the Caribbean—spoke yesterday and today at the annual WAI Conference in Orlando, Florida.
Last year, soFLY launched a series of local Girls in Aviation days, which attracted more than 1,000 adolescents to events at FEAM Aero in Doral, Sheltair Aviation Services in Fort Lauderdale, and Fontainebleau Aviation in Miami. In honor of International Women’s Day earlier this month, the chapter established the soFLY Girls in Aviation Tech Day. Held at the AAR Airframe MRO in Miami, it attracted more than 200 high school and college-aged women.
Finally, the group established a scholarship program of $30,000 for the Emil Buehler Aviation Institute at Broward College in partnership with the Florida Aviation Network and World Aerospace.
“The secret sauce to our chapter has been an effective combination of leadership and recruitment,” explained Monica Sarduy, chapter v-p and v-p of sales and marketing with FBO software provider X-1. “Without the contributions of our volunteers and board members combined with the support of our corporate sponsors, we wouldn’t be where we are today, and for that we are forever humbled and grateful.”