8th Annual Epic Aviation Scholarship Awards in 2023
Awarding 7 Scholarships Totaling $80,000
Aviation Scholarships for U.S. High School Students:
1 – $20,000 Scholarship – Flight Training/Private Pilot License
4 – $5,000 Scholarships – Flight Training
2 – $20,000 Scholarships – Aircraft Mechanics Program
Epic’s aviation scholarship program continues to grow each year to support young people interested in aviation. These scholarships are open to U.S. high school students. In 2023, we awarded 5 pilot scholarships and 2 aircraft mechanic scholarships. The four $5,000 flight scholarships were awarded for use at these locations: 1) New Smyrna Beach, FL (2 winners); 2) Ocala, FL; and 3) Tallahassee, FL.
In 2023, Epic awarded five flight training scholarships and two aircraft mechanic scholarships. Epic Flight Academy prides itself on attracting top students. We invite high school students from anywhere in the United States to apply for these annual scholarships. Epic has awarded more than $360,000 to 27 high school students in the last eight years of hosting this event.
2023 Winners
The 2023 winners are: Robert Brown and Orion Maka each won $20,000 for aircraft mechanic training. Juliana Gonzalez (KEVB), Melissa Hernandez (KEVB), Roger Roden (KOCF), and Cody Stebbins (KTLH) each won $5,000 for flight training, and Shemuel Ortiz won $20,000 for flight training. Congratulations to all!
Thank you to our 2023 Sponsors!
High School Scholarship Requirements:
- First, the applicant must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident.
- Furthermore, the applicant must currently be a junior or senior attending high school in the U.S. for the flight training scholarships.
- For the aircraft mechanic scholarship, applicants must currently be a senior attending high school in the U.S.
- Applicants must be turning 16 years of age or older on or before December 31, 2023 (flight training); or, you must be 18 years old by time of completing program (aircraft mechanic)
- All applicants must be able to start training within 12 months of receiving the scholarship.
- Also, you must be able to use the scholarship within 24 months.
- Additionally, you must have parent or guardian’s approval if under 18 years of age.
- Most importantly, applicants must have consistent, reliable transportation to attend Epic Flight Academy or be willing to relocate here during training.
- Finally, you must be able to present a Third Class Medical for the flight training scholarship.
High School Scholarship Application Details
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT APPLICATION WAS OCTOBER 1, 2023
SCHOLARSHIPS WERE AWARDED ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2023
Our goal is to give applicants the opportunity to provide quality submissions and showcase their attitudes. We are interested in learning your views on flying, goal-setting, and other qualities.
Applicants should first review the requirements of the Scholarship Application below. Then, applicants should complete all steps, such as securing letters of recommendation. Lastly, they should upload all required documents.
What is included in your application?
- Upload PDF document containing Community Service Involvement & Extracurricular Activities, including Organization/Affiliation, Date and Duration, and Location (for pilots only)
- Upload PDF document containing responses to both of the following Short Essay prompts:
- Short Essay 1: What personal attributes would you look for in a scholarship applicant? (for pilots only)
- Short Essay 2: What is your motivation for your aviation training? (Include your goals.)
- Upload 2 Letters of Recommendation: At least one must be from a high school teacher, counselor, coach, or other school official. Both Letters of Recommendation may be from teachers, counselors, coaches, or other school officials. Letters of Recommendation must not be from anyone related to you, including a guardian. Letters of Recommendation should be from adults who have served in a supervisory role to you. Please ensure that the Letters of Recommendation include the reference’s contact information.
- Create YouTube Video: In two minutes or less, creatively explain why you feel that you are the strongest candidate to receive a scholarship. Upload the video to YouTube, and be prepared to provide the link in the application. (for pilots only)
- Upload Aviation-Related Photo: Provide us with an aviation-related photo of yourself in either jpg, jpeg, or png file format. If you win, we will share your photo on our website and in other scholarship materials.
How to Apply:
Applications are now closed. We will open 2024 applications in the spring of 2024.
Scholarship FAQs:
How many scholarships will be awarded in 2023? We will award flight scholarships to 5 U.S. high school students and mechanic scholarships to 2 U.S. high school seniors. So, we will award scholarships to a total of 7 high school students.
What is included in the high school scholarship application? The application consists of:
- two short essay questions
- your current high school information
- community service
- letters of recommendation
- one video uploaded to YouTube
- one photo
Do I get additional points for submitting my application earlier that other applicants? The date an application is received carries no weight in the scoring process. However, the application must be submitted by the October 1st deadline.
When will I know if I’ve been selected for the final round? We will notify final round applicants by October 15th.
What is the next step if I’m chosen for the final round? Final round applicants participate in a phone interview with a panel of judges who will determine the scholarship recipients. .
Must I attend the award ceremony? If you win, you are not required to attend, although we do hope you will. Our aviation scholarship awards event is a lot of fun, and you’ll get to meet a lot of Epic staff and students.
Visiting Epic
Do I need to visit Epic Flight Academy in order to be eligible? It is important that applicants explore all that Epic Flight Academy has to offer and ensure our flight school is a good fit. We’d love to have applicants visit our campus. However, we understand that scheduling a visit can be a challenge. If you are unable to visit our campus, don’t worry! Contact us if you have questions. Also, you can take a virtual tour and learn a lot here on our website. (NOTE TO TEACHERS: Epic offers field trips if you would like to bring your students to campus.)
Will I get additional points for visiting Epic Flight Academy? Applicants that visit Epic Flight Academy do not receive any additional points or consideration in the scoring process.
Aviation Scholarship Awards Event
We hosted our 8th annual award ceremony on Saturday, November 4 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
Epic Aviation Scholarship Recipients
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
Epic Aviation Scholarship Contact: Dr. Cindy Lovell
Interested in becoming a 2024 sponsor? Contact us!
2023 Epic Aviation Scholarship Winners
Robert Brown
Juliana Gonzalez
Melissa Hernandez
Orion Maka
Shemuel Ortiz
Roger Roden
Cody Stebbins
2022 Epic Aviation Scholarship Winners
Austin White
Landon Bosco
Roland Ireland
Aaron Perez
Ethan Harpending
2021 Epic Aviation Scholarship Winners
Abdul Maflahi
Luke Hamilton
Tyler Vischer
Julia Juedes
2020 Epic Aviation Scholarship Winners
Michael Leonardi
Sadie Gerstle
Edson Delgado
2019 Epic Aviation Scholarship Winners
Trace Martinson
Bronwyn Rees
2018 Epic Aviation Scholarship Winners
Nicholas Antedomenico
Julio Cejas
2017 Epic Aviation Scholarship Winners
Ryan Groel
Mitchell Nathan
Skye Sobzack
2016 Epic Aviation Scholarship Winner
Victoria Taranowski
Lastly, we wish everyone the best as you apply for an aviation scholarship. Also, you may visit our scholarship resource list to see if there are additional scholarships for which you can apply. Certainly, aviation training can be costly. However, scholarships can help minimize the cost.