As the first Black woman to graduate from Kent State University’s flight program in 1991, Capt. Stephanie Johnson knows what it takes to aim high for a dream and reach it. Now, she wants other young students from diverse backgrounds to be able to envision and achieve their biggest dreams as well.
After earning her Bachelor of Science in Flight Technology from Kent State, Johnson continued to break ground, beginning with being hired as the first African American female pilot for Northwest Airlines. In 2016, she became the first African American female captain at Delta Air Lines and later became the first woman to hold the position of chief pilot for Delta.
Johnson said she considers it her job to promote aviation education. She does this on her own time, through the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, as a director of the weeklong Cleveland Aviation Career Education (A.C.E.) Academy.
While on summer vacation from her current role at Delta, Johnson recently led the A.C.E. Academy at Kent State, which is now in its 12th year. The program provides students ages 13 through 18 from diverse backgrounds with the opportunity to get a firsthand look at the career opportunities available in the aviation industry.
“A lot of students don’t see people that look them in these aerospace jobs so they don’t even think of them as an option,” Johnson told Fox 8 News in Cleveland.
The A.C.E. Academy hosted approximately 20 students on the Kent Campus for the weeklong program, some coming from as far as Buffalo, New York. To participate, students had to complete a competitive selection process, which included writing an essay, along with a look at their cumulative GPA and age.
The students walked away not only with a hefty dose of inspiration but a bit of adrenaline as well, as they got to fly a plane for the very first time, with the guidance of Kent State flight instructors.
“It’s really just worth it to see the light that comes on in a student, the awareness, the realization, that there’s something else that has potential for them, that they have potential,” Johnson said.
As Aviation Industry Grows, Kent State Responds
Kent State is seeing significant growth within its College of Aeronautics and Engineering.
In late June, the Kent State Board of Trustees approved the establishment of the Center for Advanced Air Mobility within the College of Aeronautics and Engineering, effective fall 2023. The new center will foster research, education and collaboration between faculty, staff and students within Kent State and external partners in government, academia and industry.
A rendering of the expanded College of Aeronautics and Engineering on the Kent Campus
Kent State’s flight training program is in high demand as well. New student enrollment in the Professional Pilot concentration has tripled over the past five years, growing from 47 students in 2016 to 143 in 2021. This growing demand also necessitated more space, with the College of Aeronautics and Engineering adding roughly 44,000 square feet to its building on the Kent Campus, to accommodate significant current and future enrollment growth.
Learn more about degree programs available in Kent State’s College of Aeronautics and Engineering.