Fly Like a Girl Event Fosters Youth Interest in Aviation

JetBlue brought its signature Fly Like a Girl event to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, one of the airline’s six focus cities, for the first time. Fly Like a Girl events offer girls access to different careers in the aviation industry and the opportunity to learn directly from women crewmembers who help keep the airline running.

In partnership with the airline’s Women in Flight Crewmember Resource Group (CRG), the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team, the Corporate Social Responsibility team and the JetBlue Foundation, the event supported more than 100 local youth ages 8-14 as they joined JetBlue to learn more and inspire interest about careers in aviation. The event was led by Ursula Hurley, JetBlue’s chief financial officer and president of the JetBlue Foundation, with local government officials, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz who represents Florida's 25th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Senator Nan Rich, Vice Mayor Broward County, in attendance.

Fly Like a Girl is JetBlue’s annual event that aims to promote interest in Science, Education, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) fields and reach future aviators as early as possible to showcase the various career possibilities in the aviation industry. The airline's commitment to diversity is focused on creating opportunities like Fly Like a Girl across its network. The JetBlue Foundation and JetBlue’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Corporate Social Responsibility teams share a common goal of ensuring more women are present in the hangars, airports, corporate offices and boardrooms of the future. Through leading by example, JetBlue’s Women in Flight CRG aims to foster and encourage girls to follow a STEM path.

JetBlue’s Fly Like a Girl event, held this year at Jetscape Services in Fort Lauderdale, offered girls access to different careers in the aviation industry and the opportunity to learn directly from women crewmembers. The girls not only had the opportunity to interact with women JetBlue crewmembers, but they were also able to board an Airbus A320 aircraft. Guests included students from JetBlue Foundation partner organizations and family members of JetBlue crewmembers. Participants were part of a series of experimental activities, briefings and professional panels with crewmembers from different branches of the airline including pilots, brand design managers, technical operators, and more.

“As we near our 10-year JetBlue Foundation anniversary, we are proud of how far we have come, but realize that our work is far from over when it comes to continuing to break down barriers of entry into careers in aviation,” said Ursula Hurley, president of the JetBlue Foundation. “Through our Fly Like a Girl event, we can inspire more young girls to see themselves within the aviation industry and STEM fields by having them interact and learn from our incredible women crewmembers who continue to pave the way for future generations of aviators.”

“Aviation is a field that is traditionally and heavily male dominated,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “Programs like this one will help expand opportunities for young girls to increase female representation in the industry.”