Taking Flight: How One Young Woman Turned a Scholarship Into a Lifelong Mission

Mia grew up in Grass Valley. She’s spent her entire life in Northern California, close to family and close to the forests that would eventually shape her calling.

She graduated from high school a year early, planning to study political science. But college costs made her hit pause. Instead, she worked, read, hiked, and explored the outdoors — always wanting something more.

Then came the fire.

In 2020, as a wildfire threatened her hometown, Mia watched CAL FIRE dispatch wave after wave of aircraft to fight the flames. That moment lit something inside her. She wasn’t just looking for a job — she wanted a career built around community, teamwork and learning.

She walked into Mach 5 Aviation, climbed into an aircraft, and fell in love. “Every day since,” she says, “I’ve fallen in love even more.”

Only about 9% of professional pilots are women. Mia’s instructor — also a woman — helped her see that she belonged in the cockpit.

A mountain to climb

Flying isn’t cheap. Earning a private pilot license can cost around $15,000, and the national average is about 70 hours of flight time, at roughly $285 an hour. Mia faced what so many do: financial barriers and imposter syndrome.

“You’re responsible not just for your life, but for those you teach,” she says. “That responsibility sticks with them their whole career.”

Then she applied for a scholarship from the Auburn Aviation Association (AAA), which has a fund at Placer Community Foundation. She got it: $10,000 toward her private pilot training.

“It made me feel so blessed,” Mia remembers. “I did a little dance. It renewed my motivation and ambition.”

Without that scholarship, Mia still would have chased her dream. But it wouldn’t have looked the same. At just 20 years old, she now has 1,200 hours of flight time — almost enough for her Airline Transport Pilot license, which requires 1,500 hours and being at least 21.

Giving back to the community that lifted her up

Today, Mia is a multi-engine flight instructor, stage check instructor and also flies low for mosquito abatement — a job that prepares her for a future with CAL FIRE.

But it’s not just about flying planes.

Mia is now the assistant scholarship director at AAA, working alongside Don Wolfe, who once awarded her that same scholarship. Through AAA, she’s mentored eight scholarship recipients, sits on interview boards, and helps new students find the right instructors and programs.

She’s also involved with the California Aerospace Museum, Golden Empire Flight Association and the Experimental Aircraft Association — always looking to share what she’s learned.

One moment sticks with her. Early on, struggling with anxiety and doubt, her instructor told her something simple yet profound:

“Imposter syndrome never really goes away. But it doesn’t mean you’re an imposter.”

That lesson stayed with her. Now she hopes to be that kind of instructor — someone who inspires, guides and reminds others they do belong.

Full circle

Mia’s journey has inspired people close to her too — like her mom, who’s now learning to fly.

She thinks about the donors who made all this possible. “I can’t put into words how grateful I am,” Mia says. “Whether it’s $5 or $10,000, it makes a difference. Nobody forgets the gift of opportunity.”

She believes programs like AAA, and the PCF funds behind them, change more than individual lives. They change communities.

“You’re funding someone’s career. And then they give back to the community that gave to them,” Mia says. “It helps you become your best self, no matter what part of aviation you go into.”

Still learning, still dreaming

Mia isn’t done yet. She wants to earn her glider certification, skydiving license and even become a river raft guide. She recently taught herself to drive a manual transmission.

“I’m always trying to become a better student,” she says, “so I can be a better teacher.”

At 20, she’s already taught so many to fly. And thanks to the support she received, Mia’s story shows what can happen when someone believes in you — and you keep believing in yourself.