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Tech Entrepreneur to Fund Wings Alliance Scholarship

Wings Alliance have announced the sponsorship of one of their students, Paidamwoyo (Paida) Marizani, by the Arlan Hamilton & Earline Butler Sims scholarship, which is covering a large proportion of her flight training costs.

Paida’s dream is to become a pilot and her focus to find a way to fund this path was a mixture of her determination and focus and, her mother’s willingness to increase her working hours and do whatever it took, to help her daughter fund her goal.

“This scholarship is truly amazing. I have had a passion to fly for so many years, but like many the cost of training was always a burden that was constantly on my mind. I was fortunate enough to have a mother who was willing to support me with my training, even though she did not know how she would truly be able to finance it.

“She was so determined to see me achieve my dream, that she would work twelve-hour night shifts six days a week as a Nurse just to support me. Thus, this scholarship relieves so much pressure for my mother and allows me to simply focus on my studies without having to worry about her.

“I hope my story can encourage others to pursue their passions no matter what the obstacles they face. It took me such a long time to finally find financial support and I will be forever grateful to Arlan and Mrs Sims. I hope I can teach others to keep determined and understand that ‘no’, sometimes just means that there is something better coming.

“My dream is to fly for one of the major airlines in the United Kingdom and help to promote more future female pilots and more pilots from low income and diverse backgrounds,” said Paida.

Paida’s mother, Millesent Marizani added: “The scholarship from Arlan and Earline frankly to me was God sent. When Paida started her training, I knew it was going to be an uphill task to pay her fees. However, I was determined I would help my daughter achieve her dream at whatever cost. I didn’t have a choice as there was no financial assistance from any organisation or individuals.

“Now I know Paida can concentrate on her studies without worrying about whether I will make payments due on time and she can enjoy her whole training experience. A weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I am just grateful to this mother and daughter team who have stepped in the gap for Paida and myself.”

Speaking about the scholarships that they offer, Arlan said: “My mother and I aim to help catalyse underrepresented, underestimated scholars and students with a variety of interests and skills, by alleviating some of the financial burden that she and I have endured for most of our lives. We relate and have seen what happens when someone gives you wings.”

Arlan Hamilton is also helping disadvantaged black British students going to Oxford University – covering their course fees and living costs.

Payda said: “I chose Wings Alliance as they offered good quality training for a significantly lower price than other training academies. My experience so far with Wings has been extremely positive, they are always keen to help and provide assistance with any questions or concerns.”

Rod Wren, CEO of Wings Alliance added: “Wings Alliance exists to make the airline pilot career more accessible. Our unique combination of value, quality and flexibility means we can help aspiring pilots achieve their dreams who otherwise might struggle to break into the profession.

Therefore, Arlan and Earline’s scholarship fits in exactly with our vision and values and we are delighted that it has been awarded to Paida, who is an inspiring and promising young lady with a bright future ahead.”

Wings Alliance is a non-profit organisation which provides individuals wanting to become commercial pilots with the opportunity to complete their pilot training at approximately 50% of the cost of a typical cadet programme. This route gives individuals the option of training full or part-time, taking from as little as 14-months, at a significantly lower price than a typical cadet programme.

Their students have gone on to fly with, amongst others, British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Tui, Flybe and Ryanair.
Wings Alliance are currently offering ‘Assessment’ – the first step in becoming a commercial pilot – at a reduced price (£195) for a limited time to new students. They say that this is to further remove the barriers to potential applicants who are unsure about their capabilities and want to check that flying is the right career path for them.

Author: FTN Editor

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