Shaesta Waiz was born in a refugee camp. Her family traveled from Afghanistan to America in 1987 to escape the Soviet-Afghan war. She grew up in California in an underprivileged school district where substitute teachers, sharing textbooks with classmates, and watching friends drop out of high school was the norm.
After a long journey of pursuing an education in a non-traditional field, She became the first certified civilian female pilot from Afghanistan and the first person in her family to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree. She started the Women’s Ambassador Program — an initiative that seeks to mentor and support young women pursuing an education in aviation and engineering.
She started Dreams Soar to share her story with women around the world, to let them know it is possible to achieve your dreams, regardless of the challenges and traditions you may face. The Dreams Soar mission is to partner with strong female role models and share and promote the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education.
“Every time I open the door to an aircraft, I ask myself, “How did a girl with my background become so lucky?” The truth is, anyone can be me. You must believe in yourself and allow your dreams to soar.”
Visit Shaesta at: http://dreamssoar.org/
