Igniting the Aviation Workforce One Youth at a Time

Written By Beth White

An Outpouring of Support Makes Youth Apprenticeship Possible

Youth and Adult at BETA Technologies’ Maintenance Hangar

The community support of Habitat for Aviation has been overwhelming. To date, we've received over 70 individual donations, each a testament to the belief in our mission. In addition to individual contributions, we are honored to have garnered support from several foundations. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the Big Picture Learning’s Harbor Freight Fellowship Initiative, the Robert and Rhea Brooks Family Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation, Vermont Community Foundation, Green Mountain Power, George W. Mergens Foundation, 100 Women Who Care Franklin County, and the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation for their generous grants. These foundations have not only bolstered our financial resources but have also become integral partners in the realization of our vision.

As our Habitat for Aviation family continues to grow, both in numbers and impact, we are grateful for the encouragement and endorsement we've received from our community and these esteemed foundations. With support, we are not only building airplanes but also constructing pathways for aspiring aviators to soar to new heights. Join us!

Beth White

The great John Dewey believed that we “learn best what we live,”—that individualized, first-hand experiences offer opportunity for individuals to develop deep understandings and interests. For me, an ideal learning environment is where transdisciplinary partnerships support personalized learning. These are places that offer experiences, events, and situations that inform, encourage, and reinforce learners’ self-conceptualizations of future possibilities.

Prior to starting Habitat for Aviation, I worked in a variety of New England schools, including The Met High School in Providence, RI (the “mothership” of the Big Picture Learning Network). After 10 years as a high school teacher, I returned to the classroom and earned a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Vermont.

My first-hand experiences include designing and running advisory programs, supporting democratically-oriented schooling, building service-learning and internship programs, teaching teachers and pre-service educators, and designing and implementing alternative forms of assessment. I love working for Big Picture Learning where I am heavily involved with the Harbor Freight Fellowship Initiative to get youth into the skilled trades and B-Unbound, which connects youth to supportive adults who share their interests.

In the earliest days of my career, I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic and a Master of Science in Environmental Studies with New Hampshire teaching certificates in biology and earth and space sciences from Antioch New England University.

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