TUSKEGEE, Ala. — When Kembriah Parker is in the cockpit, she feels unstoppable.
The 20-year-old Tuskegee University student is a newly licensed pilot, part of the first class of students in the school’s new aviation science program.
Tuskegee has a rich legacy. At the height of World War II, the U.S. Army Air Corps sent Black cadets to the Tuskegee Institute for primary flight training. They became the nation’s first Black military pilots, known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
Parker is the first woman in the new class to receive her pilot’s license.
“There were Tuskegee women working but not flying,” Parker said, “so it feels pretty good to be doing the flying.”
This new class of students is on track to become private and commercial pilots. The school says it hopes to help with the country’s pilot shortages.
The program combines on-the-ground lessons with time in the air.
Parker said it was a challenge to get her license, especially because she’s afraid of heights, but her focus on the final goal carried her through.
“You can do whatever you want as long as your head is in it.”
