Avfuel Corporation proudly announces the four members of its 2021 scholarship class: Kenneth Evers, earning the AVTRIP Scholarship, and Emily Castellucci, Griffin Schaffer and Aaron Slatton, each earning an Avfuel Pilot-in-Training Scholarship.
Evers, a safety officer and line pilot from Forsyth, Missouri, will use the $2,000 AVTRIP Scholarship to become a flight instructor.
“I have been very blessed in the past two and a half years to be able to fly full time, and I would like to give something back to aviation in return for what it has done for me,” said Evers. “I have talked to my local flight school and once I become an instructor, I will donate my time to it and help teach its missionary pilots …. missionary aviation is the life line of so many rural and third-world communities; they will be literally saving lives.”
Evers is a Part 135 and Part 91 pilot with both pilot-in-command and second-in-command duties. In his role, he understands the importance of impeccable safety standards; Evers designed and implemented a safety management system for his company’s operation, oversees internal audits of operations and maintenance, and trains staff members in safety procedures.
“My end goal is to fly jets internationally until retirement while continuing to be on an aviation safety team and instructing at my local flight school,” said Evers. “Upon retirement, I would like to become a FlightSafety International instructor in both flight and aviation safety.”
Castellucci, of Columbus, Ohio, will use her $1,500 Avfuel Scholarship to help fund her flight training. As the daughter of a U.S. Army pilot who gave the ultimate sacrifice, Castellucci works to become an aviator to honor her father’s legacy by passing along the joy of flight and using it to serve others.
As a senior lecturer, Castellucci teaches geography courses to college students, including those studying air transportation. She plans to apply what she learns in her flying lessons to her current position, while serving her community and cultivating a career in aviation.
"I'm interested in exploring the variety of jobs available to commercial pilots, but I also want to volunteer my skills in my community,” said Castellucci. “I want to fly for the Civil Air Patrol, of which I recently became a member, and I hope to perform medical/compassion flights through organizations like Angel Flights. I want to take advantage of as many opportunities as I can to serve and love other people by flying with them!"
Schaffer, of Simpsonville, South Carolina, will use his $1,000 Avfuel Scholarship to fund further flight hours at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Having grown up around his grandfather’s FBO business, Schaffer is passionate about aviation and has experience as a line service team member and technician. After graduating, Schaffer aspires to be a professional pilot for a cargo/freight company. Having always been around the freight side of aviation, he’s taken great interest in that sector. Eventually, Schaffer aspires to return to general aviation to run an FBO.
Slatton, of New Haven, Indiana, will use his $500 Avfuel Scholarship toward attaining a PPL. Slatton aspires to also obtain a CFI license and run a flight training business so he can teach others the joy of flight. He further wishes to start a scholarship fund to help servicemembers and veterans transition back into civilian life through flight.
2021 marks the 23rd year Avfuel has supported the educational endeavors of aviators through the AVTRIP Scholarship. The fuel supplier expanded its scholarship program four years ago to support aspiring aviators through the Avfuel Pilot-in-Training Scholarship. Recently, Avfuel announced a new scholarship program with Sheltair—the Future Takes Flight Scholarship Program. Applications for the Avfuel and Sheltair scholarship are now available at Avfuel.com/Scholarships. Applications for the 2022 AVTRIP and Avfuel Pilot-in-Training Scholarships will be available on the site this spring.
“We offer a hearty congratulations to our 2021 scholarship recipients,” said Marci Ammerman, vice president of marketing for Avfuel. “The breadth of talent and passion in this year’s applicants was staggering, making for an incredibly competitive scholarship class. We thank all applicants for choosing to share their stories with us. Even after 23 years, I continue to be inspired by their passion and aspirations. We look forward to releasing the next round of applications and are thrilled to be able to expand our scholarship program with the addition of the Future Takes Flight Scholarship Program with Sheltair.”
