The Rashanda Nicole Lee Memorial Scholarship Application
The Rashanda Nicole Lee Memorial Scholarship is in honor of one of our sisters who has taken her final flight. Nicole was a scholarship recipient during Sisters of the Skies, Inc., the first annual scholarship banquet that was held on February 16, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. The banquet was in honor of the 10th anniversary of the First All-Female African-American Flight Crew. Just a few short weeks following the event, Nicole passed away unexpectedly on March 2, 2019. The scholarship designated for Rashanda Nicole Lee will now be used to support the flight training of another African-American female working to become a professional pilot.
Nicole was truly a beacon of light and for those who knew her, our lives were forever changed.
She was born on April 14, 1982, in Akron, Ohio to proud parents, Ronnie Lee and Judith Lynn Lee before relocating to Norton, Ohio. She was often revered as a soft spoken, loving and courageous person with a smile that warmed everyone's heart. She attended the Akron First Seventh Day Adventist Church and also participated in the youth ministry with the "Reaching Akron's Inner Neighborhoods R.A.I.N. Ministry Orchestra," where she played Violin. Nicole continued her community work as a youth member of Akron's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), leaning to fight for Civil Rights.
The joy and passion for Nicole were Airplanes. Ever since she was a young child, she became fascinated with seeing planes fly as her father would often take her to local airports to watch the planes take off and land. It was no surprise that Nicole would find herself as a college student at Kent State University where she would earn a Bachelor's Degree in Aeronautical Science.
While at Kent State, Nicole enrolled in the Jim Long Aviation program and later transferred to the Kent State University flight program. This is where she earned her private pilot's license. She went on to join the United States Army and was stationed at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina and then Ft. Rucker, Alabama School of aviation where she earned the status of United States Army Warrant Officer.
After an honorable discharge, she began training to earn her additional licenses and ratings in order to fly commercial jets. Nicole received numerous scholarships and community awards along with receiving a job offer with ExpressJet Airlines pending the completion of her commercial instrument rating.