Bernie “Buzz”

Written By Beth White

Habitat for Aviation honored to be featured in Senator Bernie Sanders’ newsletter

Recently, James Paradissis and Meara Seery (now Ms. Vermont!) from Senator Bernie Sanders' team visited Habitat for Aviation for a day to learn about our Women Build Planes program. Their visit was part of an initiative to highlight innovative community projects in Vermont. During their time with us, James and Meara interviewed several of our dedicated builders, capturing the unique stories and experiences of the women and girls who are breaking barriers in the aviation industry. Their visit culminated in a feature in the Bernie Buzz newsletter, which not only showcased our program but also included a four-minute video overviewing our work and mission.

The Bernie Buzz newsletter article, titled "The Sky is the Limit for Habitat for Aviation," beautifully highlighted our efforts to support the next generation of young aviation maintenance technicians and avionics specialists through hands-on apprenticeship opportunities. Senator Sanders praised our organization for teaching new skills, fostering community, and challenging industry norms, especially noting the significance of our Women Build Planes program, which is led entirely by women and girls. The feature underscored the importance of increasing female representation in aviation, with only 5% of pilots and less than 3% of airplane mechanics being women. This spotlight has brought greater attention to our mission and is a testament to the incredible work of our team.

Beth White

Education Possibilitarian, Artist, Writer, Doula, Mentor, Aviatrix, Breast Cancer Survivor, Pilot-in-Command at Habitat for Aviation

Born and raised in Vermont, Beth worked in a variety of schools in New England, including The Met, which is Big Picture Learning, flagship public high school in Providence, Rhode Island. After a decade in the classroom, Beth returned to the University of Vermont to earn a PhD in educational leadership and policy studies. She is an education possibilitarian, artist, a writer, a Doula, a mentor and aviatrix and most recently, after winning a tough battle with breast cancer, Beth founded Habitat for Aviation to inspire the next generation of airplane mechanics, avionics, specialists and pilots.

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