Story ID: 508 
Audrey Swatson Receives Abingdon Scholarship
By: Samantha Cartaino
Caption: Swatson was flown from Ghana to the Women in Aviation Conference at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort at the beginning of March.
Word Count: 228
Audrey Swatson recently received the sixth annual "It’s About Time Scholarship" from watch manufacturer Abingdon Co. (Booth 6125). Swatson, a 20-year-old Ghanaian, is working on her commercial pilot certificate in Africa. As part of the scholarship, she was flown from Ghana to attend the Women in Aviation Conference at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort at the beginning of March.

For the "It’s About Time Scholarship", applicants get to choose the format for their application and are allowed to submit more than one application. Some hopefuls have sent in sticker designs, essays, videos and music showing their passion for aviation. Swatson sent in two poems about female empowerment in French and English, the two languages in which she is fluent. She also sent in a video and an essay that displayed her creativity.

“I was moved by the poems and message they displayed," said Abingdon CEO Abingdon Welch. “As the crew and I were going through applications, we all stopped when we read Audrey’s poems. They resonated deep within us as words that spoke to building up one another. They were inspiring, meaningful and beautiful. We have seen many applications through the year, and this one stood out immediately. Then we read Audrey’s essay and watched her video and knew she was a clear choice for this year’s scholarship.”