Aviation STEM career day opens doors for students of color in Detroit

DETROIT (FOX 2) - This week, hundreds of students across Metro Detroit are preparing for their future at a career day held at Detroit City Airport.

They’re learning about careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and organizers believe an early introduction to these career paths can be a game-changer for students.

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"I just knew at that moment i was supposed to fly that plane," said Krystall Okebilu.

Although she had received a degree in education, she was drawn to a career shift in aviation.

"When I did fly, I didn’t see anyone who looks like me, so I didn’t think it was a possibility," she said.

Now she is working to make sure Metro Detroit children realize they can, too with Aviation S.T.E.M. career day at Detroit City Airport.

"I was only thinking about being a doctor," said Madyson Hamilton, a student at Detroit Public Safety Academy. "But now this has opened my eyes a little bit wider and now I may want to be part of the Air Force."

The career day was hosted by Detroit’s Tuskegee Airmen National Museum.

"We have our ground school which will prepare them for their private pilot's license," Okebilu said. "We have our drone pilot's license, we have our general aircraft mechanics. We also have robotics."

"It will be something interesting to do and go over, especially as a kid," said Hamilton.

First Officer Mark Vaught said he understands the importance of the career day

"I’m doing this event because this is where I started," he said. "I started flying when I was 16 years old and i got my first flight here. It was with an original Tuskegee Airman. His name was Ralph Mason."

Vaught is a pilot for a commercial airlines and much more.

"Twenty-five years in, I've worked with the Michigan Air National Guard," he said. "I got to fly three aircraft."

And organizers say programs like this allow more students of color to see themselves in aviation.

"African Americans are only 3 percent of the industry in military and commercial aviation," Vaught said. "That’s what I want these kids to understand. I want them to have that option, to know that they can do that."

To learn how you can enroll your child in pilot training, drone classes and much more HERE.

Mark Vaught, First Officer for United Airlines.