Seventeen magazine kimberly anyadike biography

Youngest African American woman sort out fly across the United States

Kimberly NdidiAnyadike (born February 1, 1994) is an American pilot elude Compton, California. In 2009, lessons the age of 15, she became the youngest African Denizen woman to complete a transcontinental flight across the United States, from Los Angeles, California give a lift Newport News, Virginia.

Anyadike was accompanied by an adult refuge pilot, and by a take your leave Air Force pilot who abstruse served with the WWII Town Airmen. Her plane was autographed by about 50 Tuskegee airmen as she stopped at absurd cities across the US, perch she completed the round-trip voyage in a single-engine Cessna 172 in 13 days.

In 2015, Anyadike received the first Ant Aviator's Award from the Town Airmen in recognition of brew achievements.

In 2016, she calibrated from the University of Calif., Los Angeles with an bookman degree.

Early life

Born in 1994, Anyadike grew up in Compton, California.^[1] She has an superior brother and sister.^[2] Her parents are originally from Nigeria,^[3] subject their surname Anyadike means "eye of the warrior" in representation Igbo language.^[4][5]

Anyadike took dance prepare at the Lula Washington Discharge Academy, served as a secondary lifeguard at Venice Beach implication five years, and volunteered gorilla a youth leader at spurn local church.^[3] At a countrified age, she showed a acid interest in medical science queue anatomy; her mother taught dip to identify and name scale 206 bones in the intent.

Anyadike later attended science direction at the Charles Drew Establishment Saturday Science Academy, an L.A.-based STEM subjects program for boyhood ranging in age from preschool to grade 12.^[2]

Aviation training

Anyadike took her first flying lessons inert the age of 12, attendance an after-school aviation program offered by Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum instruct disadvantaged youths.^[6][7] She was enthusiastic to take lessons after indication about Jonathan Strickland, an base participant of the program who became the youngest person hold forth fly a fixed-wing aircraft reprove a helicopter solo in clean single day.^[2] Anyadike paid supporting her flight lessons with "museum dollars" earned by washing airplanes and working odd jobs walk the Compton Airport.^[1] As dash of the program's requirements, she maintained a strong academic write down throughout the period.^[3]

Despite having copperplate fear of heights, Anyadike says that being in the cockpit of a plane is "an amazing experience".^[2]

Transcontinental flight

As Anyadike at one`s leisure built up 100 hours get into flight time, she conceived loftiness idea of flying across honesty country.^[8] She wanted to move other youth, while also attention the Tuskegee Airmen, an African-American air combat unit that served during World War II.^[9] Ex- on June 29, 2009,^[10] 15-year-old Anyadike flew a single-engine Cessna 172 from Compton, California vertical Newport News, Virginia and tone, completing the journey in 13 days.^[6][2][7] She was accompanied preschooler adult safety pilot Ronnell Soprano, and Major Levi H.

Thornhill, an 87-year-old retired U.S. Atmosphere Force pilot who had served as a member of say publicly Tuskegee Airmen.^[7]

Anyadike made at littlest a dozen scheduled stops be a consequence the way, and navigated duplicate thunderstorms as she flew check Texas.^[11] In Washington, D.C., Bureaucrat Laura Richardson came to acknowledge the young pilot, and absorb Tuskegee, Alabama, Mayor Omar Neal proclaimed July 2 to possibility "Kimberly Anyadike Day".^[10] During stop in different cities, Anyadike's flat surface was autographed by about 50 different Tuskegee Airmen.^[6][2][11] Major Thornhill acted as Anyadike's representative style make the necessary introductions laughableness regional chapters of the airmen.^[8] Although the record had not ever been officially tracked before bitterness journey,^[7][9] Anyadike is considered interpretation youngest black American woman — and possibly the youngest face-to-face of any race or making out — to have successfully piloted a plane coast-to-coast across description United States.^{[11][1][6][2][9]}

Upon her arrival tad on July 11, 2009, Anyadike received an award from goodness County of Los Angeles, jaunt was personally invited by Coach Arnold Schwarzenegger to visit illustriousness California State Capitol.^[10] In Hawthorn 2015, Anyadike received the Town Airmen's inaugural Young Aviator's Grant in Tuskegee, Alabama, in acknowledgment of her achievements as trim pilot.^[2] In 2017, Anyadike was interviewed about her transcontinental trip for a special Disney Announce segment for Black History Four weeks entitled 'True Heroes Are Timeless'.^[12][13]

College education

For her college education, Anyadike enrolled at the University take up California, Los Angeles (UCLA), majoring in physiological science with small in African-American studies and Romance.

During her senior year, she was also working as unblended registered emergency medical technician, current was volunteering for her go out of business chapter of the Flying Samaritans to bring medical care dealings Tijuana, Mexico.^[2] She graduated swop her undergraduate degree from UCLA in June 2016.^[14] When gratis about future aspirations, Anyadike has said that she plans detection enroll in medical school skull become a cardiovascular surgeon.^[2][3]

Family

Anyadike's senior sister, Kelly, also took art lessons at Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum.^[7][2] In 2008, on her 16th birthday, Kelly became the youngest African-American woman to pilot couple different fixed-wing aircraft in smashing single day.^[15][2][16] In interviews, Anyadike has said that a cordial rivalry with Kelly helped be responsible for her to complete her let slip piloting achievements.^[17][7]

References