Hundreds of middle and high school students descended on Mather Airport Saturday for a free, hands-on look at careers in science, technology, engineering, and math, trading classroom lectures for face time with real pilots, engineers, and mechanics. The event, called Destination Aviation, ran from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and let students ages 12 to 18 explore exhibits, ask career questions, and meet working aviation professionals.
The program was organized by the California Capital Airshow, the nonprofit behind Sacramento’s flagship annual airshow, according to KCRA. As the station reported, students spent the afternoon at hands-on exhibits and displays, peppering STEM industry leaders with questions about how to break into various technical fields. Essay contest winners were treated to an introductory flight ahead of the event and were later awarded a special prize, KCRA noted.
A Trailblazing Pilot’s Message to Students
Among the speakers was retired Col. Merryl Tengesdal, whose remarks anchored the day’s message that STEM skills open doors well beyond traditional engineering paths. Per the same KCRA account, Tengesdal told students that STEM is important even for artists because it involves math, sciences, critical thinking, and challenging norms. Tengesdal is the first and only Black female pilot in history to fly the U.S. Air Force’s U-2 “Dragon Lady” high-altitude spy plane, according to BlackPast.org, and previously flew the SH-60B Seahawk helicopter as a U.S. Navy pilot before retiring after more than 23 years of military service.
Individual attendees walked away with concrete next steps. One student who attended told KCRA that the event sparked new interest in aviation as a career path, while another said she left researching aviation scholarships and opportunities she hadn’t known about before.
Why Airshow Organizers Keep Investing in Youth Programs
California Capital Airshow CEO Darcy Brewer explained the reasoning behind events like Destination Aviation in comments to the Carmichael Times: a student can’t pursue a career they don’t know exists. Brewer added that hands-on interactions make career pathways real in ways a classroom cannot replicate. Destination Aviation is one of several free youth STEM initiatives the organization runs each year in Sacramento County, alongside the Positive Altitude event held in late May and the ACE Academy, according to the Rancho Cordova Independent…