Flight To Success: Inspiration Gives Wings

And the Gift of Flight

In 2018 I met Aleeka Morgan and her husband Will at an ERAU graduation of which I was speaking. I was impressed by this couple, and they became my Friday Fabulous Flyers. I knew there would be nothing stopping Aleeka in a future of inspiration and success. Success is when you make a difference in the world.

Aleeka introduced me to La Pietra, an all-girls school in Hawaii, and was surprised by their TechZone program. The program equips students with cutting-edge tools like a flight simulator, e-sports gear, robotics kits, 3-D printers, and so much more. She told me Sabrina, a graduate of the school, is now headed to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (my alma mater), and she credits La Pietra for sparking her passion for aeronautics. Sabrina recently completed her first solo flight, thanks to her time in the flight simulator at her school.

Aleeka said, “I’m passionate about helping to fundraise for La Pietra through the fund I started, Nurturing Wāhine Fund, because I saw firsthand how genuine the leaders are at the school. I have had so many traumatic experiences in Hawai’i where I have been put in uncomfortable situations by women, and it is novel to see a place that allows women and girls to actually thrive.”

As the spouse of an Air Force veteran, Aleeka understands the transformative power of flight skills firsthand. Since then, she has launched a gender equity fund, Nurturing Wāhine to support STEM initiatives like TechZone. Every dollar she raises goes directly benefit these young women.

Nurturing Wāhine Fund’s mission: To empower women to overcome systematic adversity by offering resources and grants. We do this by supporting programs and community leaders in underrepresented fields.” Aleeka is in search of much needed funds for TechZone that will be used for maintenance of La Pietra’s current equipment, and to assist in purchasing new equipment such as and instructor station, CNC milling machine, and CAD/CAM software. This is a 503(c)(3) non-profit and all donations will be tax deductible. You can Venmo your support at @NurturingWahine

If you have any questions or equipment donations, or want to learn more about Nurturing Wahine Fund or please email her at Aleeka@nurturingwahine.org