Delaware Academy Senior Lands Flying Scholarship

DELHI – Joanna Scherer has seen her future, and the sky’s the limit. Literally.

The Delaware Academy CSD at Delhi senior will be graduating on Saturday, June 28, but she is already well on her way to meeting her goals of becoming a licensed pilot. A recent scholarship award will help her on that very specific path.

The Experimental Aircraft Association-Chapter 1240 recently announced that they were awarding Joanna the “Ready to Take Off Award and Scholarship” of $500, which she’ll be able to apply towards the cost of flying lessons. Joanna learned of the scholarship opportunity through DCMO BOCES Work Coordinator Christina McCall-Hopkins. McCall-Hopkins works with students at Delaware Academy through the Career Destinations program, and also sees Joanna at the DCMO BOCES Harrold Campus in Sidney Center, where Joanna has been studying Business Technology.

Joanna has been taking flying lessons in Sidney since January. She has completed over 28 hours, including 74 landings.  She says she has been interested in flying since she took her first flight at 5 years old. “When I boarded my first flight, I was given a badge by the captain himself. So, in a sense, flying allows me to live out his legacy,” she said.

Joanna found there is an innate appeal to flying. “I love it– it’s exciting,” she said. “Flying lets you have freedom. As a pilot, your office is wherever you’re flying. I don’t like to be limited to being in one place.” Joanna plans to get her private pilot’s license, then go to Embry Riddle University in Daytona Beach for an Aeronautical Science degree. She sees flying as a long-term investment: “Commercial pilots earn a good salary, and promotions increase that,” she said. “It should not take long to pay off the investment.”

Joanna received her scholarship award at the Aviation Day event on June 14, held at the Lt. Warren E. Eaton Airport in Norwich.