By Olga Imbaquingo – Special for El Tiempo Latino.
They have a double mission: to fly high and down here to inspire Latin girls to also dream of following in the footsteps of Graciela Tiscareño-Sato, or perhaps they aspire to be like Lizbeth Alvarado, they dare to emulate Jacqueline Pulido and why not , seek to become the successors of Sandra Granados or Jeanette Ceja.
These women are pilots, air traffic controllers, aviation instructors, aeronautical industry executives and even air accident investigators and they all have one trait in common: they are Hispanic.
Their high-flying achievements must be celebrated, even better if it is by meeting them in person and listening to them talk about their experiences and dreams.
The opportunity, regarding Hispanic Heritage Month, will be an event at the College Park Aviation Museum, a ceremony supported by The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. “Global Festival of Latinas in Aviation” is the name of this appointment, to be held this October 2, between 10 in the morning and four in the afternoon, at the 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive, College Park.
If your sons and daughters dream of being pilots or even if they still have no idea what they would like to be in the future, come to this meeting, because that day a pool of inspiration with a Latin woman stamp will be open, which may They will say that when they asked her to list the three jobs she would like to do, this Puerto Rican said: “pilot, pilot or pilot.” With that conviction between an eyebrow and an eyebrow, she became the first Latina pilot in the United States Army. Your name Olga Nevarez-Custodio.
Perhaps you will hear the Ecuadorian Ana Uribe-Ruiz say that “the sky is never the limit, only the beginning of the journey” and that when she was a child in her native country she was a dancer and even did it professionally.
In addition to her responsibilities as vice president of the International Organization of Women in Aviation, in the Bay Area chapter of the San Francisco region, Uribe-Ruiz concentrates her efforts on training children and youth in science, technology, robotics, engineering , arts and mathematics; And there is even more: Through the organization it represents, it offers free flights to adolescent girls and women to offer them a different perspective of the world.
A book in honor of these pioneering Latinas
All these women are featured in the book “Latinas en la Aviación: Stories of power and passion that highlight the magic of the aviation industry”, compiled by Jacqueline S. Ruiz (Mexico), who is driving the movement of Latinas in the aeronautical industry, is the author of 25 other books and also a pilot in the sports category.
The women Ruiz is making visible in his latest book have their roots in Cuba, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Ecuador and Mexico. Some like aerobics, gymnastics, meditation, boxing and there is someone who dreams of one day flying to Mars. The 200 pages of this book, written by the protagonists, are a celebration in honor of a group of Latina women, who in this industry are still a rarity, but who in their flight plan have many triumphs, some falls and his most precious achievements. They are veterans already retired, others are recent graduates, military and civilians, with a passion that leads them to the same destination: aeronautics and how with it they can help change the world.
“The inspiration to tag Latinas in aviation is the result of my tireless passion for aeronautics.
As one of the very few Latinas who is in the line of sports pilots in the United States and after my experience publishing books on marketing, I knew that I had a mission to make Latin women known and paid tribute. who are in this industry, ”said Ruiz.
Her work and her association with the College Park Aviation Museum is in itself great news, because it is the first time that 16 Latina women working in the aviation industry will meet in this area.
For the director of the College Park Aviation Museum, Kevin Cabrera, this first meeting will be a great legacy. “Just thinking that a group of Latina pilots and industry professionals will be making history by flying to the oldest operating airport in the world – College Park Airport – is incredible. It inspires us to know that these women are breaking barriers every day. “
Cabrera’s hope is that “the stories of these successful women let our local community see that there are no limits; As a Latino I think it is extremely important that we inspire and support our next generation of leaders. The association with this group of Latinas in Aviation “is made to put it at the service of our people,” concluded Cabrera.
A similar idea has the Museum’s program manager, Jamie Jones.
“This is not a one-day event, this is a transformative experience that will surely inspire the lives of many Latinas who come from different places; and, above all, an opportunity for our young women to see someone who looks like them achieve such greatness live and direct ”.
According to Jones, her job as a museum professional and as an African American woman is to make sure that “all voices are heard and appreciated.”
For more information about this meeting and other museum activities, visit: www.collegeparkaviationmuseum.com.
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