Embry-Riddle Students Receive Raytheon's First Women in Aviation Scholarships

As part of the Air Traffic Control Association's (ATCA) Scholarship Fund Program, each scholarship winner receives an $11,250 cash scholarship to pursue an aviation-related degree. Of the four winners nationwide, three were from Embry-Riddle and the fourth from Florida Institute of Technology.

The Embry-Riddle students receiving the scholarship include Alexis Cryts and Jennifer Maier from the Daytona Beach, Florida Campus and Mikayla Quesenberry from the Prescott, Arizona Campus. The scholarships include a summer internship with Raytheon.

Maier, an Aeronautics junior minoring in Air Traffic Control and Applied Meteorology, hopes to work as a dispatcher after she graduates assisting in planning flight paths. She later wants to be a pilot.

Cryts, an Aerospace Engineering freshman, wants to become an aeronautical engineer for a major aircraft manufacturer and work on aircraft design.

Quesenberry, in her second year at Embry-Riddle studying Aeronautical Science, plans to be a professional pilot, possibly for the military. She also works in the Air Traffic Management Lab on the Prescott Campus as a lab assistant.

“Our success as a student is a testament to the leadership potential and role that each of us will one day carry in the aviation industry,” Maier added. “This unique internship with Raytheon will provide us with valuable real-world hands-on experience, something that isn't always attainable in the confines of the classroom.”

Raytheon Company, headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions.

"Closing the gender gap in aviation career fields means expanding educational opportunities for women," said Matt Gilligan, Raytheon vice president of Navigation, Weather and Services. "We are making a measurable contribution to close the gap, and our entire industry will benefit."

With a history of innovation spanning 96 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I™ products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries.