Tracy Forrest Scholarship Delivers on Pilot Dreams
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Tracy Forrest’s passion for aviation extends beyond his 70 years and more than 5,000 hours of flight time. It lives on through the Tracy Forrest Scholarship, established to help students launch careers in aviation and space.
Friends and colleagues established the endowment in 2020, prioritizing candidates seeking education to advance a lifelong interest and commitment to contribute to the aerospace industry. Ed Turley, Cyrus Sigari, Jon Callaghan, Jeff Forrest and Rae Lovenbury with the New Horizons Foundation contributed $120,000 to create the scholarship to honor Forrest’s commitment to mentoring young aviators and talented students planning careers in space. The donors have decided to commit their term scholarship for a total of $400,000 over the next five years, in addition to establishing a $50,000 endowment so that the scholarship exists in perpetuity.
Scholarships relieve financial pressures, but the first students to receive the Tracy Forrest scholarships in 2022 explain what a powerful positive influence this generosity is on their families and futures.
“I was almost in tears when I got the call.”
Nick Meconi chose Embry-Riddle in Prescott for the strength of the flight program, small campus and the fact that it is just a four-hour drive from home. He is working on his commercial rating and credits the fact that he passed his check ride for instrumentation rating on the support of his scholarship. He hopes to graduate in 2024.
A demanding degree program, a part-time job and the transition to responsible “adulting” keep him busy. However, he has begun to network by visiting EAA AirVenture Oshkosh this year and volunteering at a career fair. He hopes to become a peer counselor through the College of Aviation, extending his outreach as a member of the Flightline Advisory Board.
Volunteerism appeals to him. “During recent hurricanes, I saw pilots from all over the country delivering supplies and aid,” Meconi said. “I want to spend a few years flying search and rescue and fire operations before I join a commercial airline.”
He sees the Forrest Scholarship as a vote of confidence. “I was almost in tears when I got the call. It made me feel someone had my back. There are times you question whether it is worth it — it is — but it helps to know people believe in you. When a reward like this comes along, you’re reminded: ‘You can do this.’”
“Donors help more than one person. My sister now has opportunities thanks to my scholarship.”
Raised in Palm Harbor, Florida, Alexandra McGonagill heard about Embry-Riddle from a neighbor, former F/A-18 pilot John Shea, who told her, “Everybody knows Embry-Riddle.”
Extensive travel throughout her childhood made an impression on her. “I got used to being in the air, and the sky became part of my life. I knew I didn’t want to be on the ground, sitting at a desk. I’d rather sit in the cockpit of an aircraft.”
She is now in the flight program and plans to finish check rides for her commercial rating this fall and graduate in 2023. Balancing academic and flight hours is demanding, but she finds time to support charities. Through her sorority, Alpha Xi Delta, she has volunteered with the Kindly Hearts Initiative, which delivered Covid-19 relief to those in need and has since started helping foster children.
McGonagill appreciates the experience she has already gained in the aviation industry, including dispatcher training. “I’m leaning more toward military operations as well as the airlines and then maybe working with rockets,” she says. Her sister, Ashley, is still in high school, working on her associate degree through a dual-enrollment program. She is exploring possibilities in medicine.
“My scholarship lessens financial pressure on my family so my sister will have the same educational opportunities I do. I’m very family oriented, and all my hard work is for my family. I hope donors know that every dollar they give helps more than one person.”
“You can go to a school that has aviation. Or you can go to a school that is aviation.”
Luca Anthony Vizzarri is well on his way to following his father’s footsteps to become a commercial pilot. He has completed his private pilot’s license and instrument rating, and he is working on his commercial license.
On a campus tour, Vizzarri was prompted to apply with a plan to major in aeronautical science after hearing a comment from then Acting Dean of Aviation Dr. Michael Wiggins: “You can go to a school that has aviation, or you can go to a school that IS aviation.”
Vizzarri was born in Kansas to an Army aviator and Polish mother. As an Army brat, he moved nine times, living in Texas, Georgia, Italy and Germany. By high school, he was living in Florida, where he earned a reputation as a talented athlete, playing football and varsity wrestling at Oviedo High School. As a part-time lifeguard, he made six rescues. He is now a member of Sigma Chi and serves as president of recruiting for the fraternity.
His scholarship will help him realize his dream of flying for the airlines someday. “I do not know how to say ‘Thank you’ enough. I remember getting the phone call, and it was such a crazy feeling. I was beyond ecstatic. I can’t believe I was this lucky. The other goal I have in life is to pay back my amazing parents someday. They sacrificed so much for me and were great role models.
“It helped me to the finish line.”
McKenzey Piper Kimes has been mesmerized by flying since her mother took her to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh as a child. She decided she wanted to be a hurricane hunter and is now majoring in aeronautical science with a minor in meteorology.
While she is still considering an employer such as the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration after she earns her commercial license and graduates in 2024, she thinks she might like to fly for a cargo fleet like FedX or UPS.
She is grateful that her scholarship makes those career goals closer to a plan than a dream. “My parents work hard to provide for us, but the scholarship was so helpful. Commercial training took me all year and when I heard about the scholarship last spring, I could finish without any disruptions or restrictions. It really helped me get to the finish line. It took away so much worry so I could focus.”