Minnesota Pilots Association Presents Scholarships

The Minnesota Pilots Association announced its aviation scholarship winners at the 2021 Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering at Buffalo Municipal Airport.

The recipient of the 2021 Janette Strathy Aviation Scholarship is Alicia Cerney. She is studying Commercial Aviation at the University of North Dakota. Cerney appreciates the example set by other women aviators and hopes to inspire others to follow their dreams in aviation.

The recipient of the 2020 Janette Strathy Aviation Scholarship is Chelsea Montgomery, from Bloomington, Minnesota. She is a graduate of Jefferson High School. Montgomery took Post-Secondary Enrollment Option (PESO) classes during her last two years of high school. She then attended the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management, majoring in entrepreneurial management and political science. She purchased a share in a flying club at Crystal Airport in 2018 and received her Private Pilot's license in 2019. Upon graduating from the U of M, she was accepted in the flight training program at ATP Flight School in Mesa, Arizona. Montgomery is currently working on her commercial ticket.

The recipient of the 2021 Captain Edward L. Erickson Aviation Scholarship is Wyatt Jones, a Commercial Aviation student at the University of North Dakota. Jones is working on a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics, with a minor in Atmospheric Sciences, with a specialization in Business Aviation.

The recipient of the 2020 Captain Edward L. Erickson Aviation Scholarship is Micheal Ochsenbauer from Forest Lake, Minnesota. He is attending Southern Illinois University on an academic scholarship. Ochsenbauer is working on his commercial pilot license and plans to use the scholarship money to defray the cost of completing the training course. He achieved first place in the 2019 NIFA Flight Team Short Field Landing Competition.