Aviation and the Journey to Success

By: Preksha Gupta

Aviation is the proof that given the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible,
(Eddie Rickenbacker). Anna Schmitt, a student in the 10 grade class at CRECs Academy of
Aerospace and Engineering, and the manager of the schools RV-12 airplane build team, was
recently awarded the Jon Witkin Memorial Scholarship from the Experimental Aircraft
Association (EAA) Chapter 1310 in East Windsor, CT. She will be going to a one-week summer
program in EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin, the world's premier aviation event and
largest airshow in the world, from July 29 to August 6 . There she will be flying, building
models, learning how to use tools, welding, and so much more. Schmitt is very excited for this
great opportunity and this will help lead her in the right direction to become an aircraft engineer
in the future. Steve Socolosky, an engineering teacher at CRECs Academy of Aerospace and
Engineering, has been her mentor. The EAA Advanced Air Academy provides an atmosphere
for mature students to become totally immersed in the world of flight. Ground instruction and
introductory recreation flight experiences highlight this meaningful, action-packed camp, said
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Mr.Socolosky. To be awarded this scholarship Schmitt had to write a 250-word essay answering
questions on the scholarship and her life.