Giving Wings To Dreams

Photo Credit: The Race Card Project, Obama Foundadtion Summit-Chicago
Article By Tierra C. Shannon

It began with an idea. An idea for youth, for people of color, for the future of aviation. Tammera L. Holmes, President & CEO of AeroStar Consulting Corporation and founder of the AeroStar Avion Institute in Chicago, started her company with a good idea and quickly learned that success took more than just a dream.

“At first, I did it the wrong way. I asked for money without having begun the work.” Holmes said when asked about how it all started back in March of 2008. It has taken Holmes 10 years to get it done, to build an aviation talent pipeline, but AeroStar has done it. Her idea is real, and it’s changing lives.

Michael Hogue, an AeroStar alum recalled, “My mom woke me up one day and said, ‘Let’s go for a plane ride’. It was my first time going up, and it made me feel so free. I wanted to keep doing it.” The introductory airplane ride, courtesy of the Chicago DODO Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Young Eagles Rally, ignited the spark.

Photo: Hogue's first flight

For Michael, finding AeroStar was the furtherance of his own dream: to become a pilot. He joined AeroStar’s Aviation Exploration Apprenticeship with After School Matters, the summer after his 8th grade graduation. It introduced him to the freedom of flying and gave him the education and training he needed to pursue that dream.

In the program, he excelled tremendously. By senior year, he was prepared for the opportunity of a lifetime. Through AeroStar’s partnership with Tuskegee NEXT, he was able to earn his private pilot's license at no cost to him. At age 17, he began teaching 5th -8th grade AeroStar students, of whom he remarked "they remind me so much of myself at that age." He has seen the growth of the organization and its founder firsthand, and has received, from the experience, so much more than just aviation.

Hogue graduated as valedictorian from a Chicago Public School and now attends a prestigious college in Maine, with a full scholarship. He continues his flight training every Friday working towards his dream of becoming an airline pilot.

AeroStar is accomplishing its mission to enhance, promote, and support the academic awareness of aviation and aeronautical career path opportunities for all students, particularly female, minority, underprivileged and at-risk youth. For Michael Hogue, it did all that and more. For Tammera Holmes, it was her dream coming to fruition. For the outside world, it was time to take notice.

After earlier news features with ABC and Forbes, 2017 was an exceptional year for Holmes and the organization, racking up more than a dozen awards and recognition; including being inducted into the Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame, receiving Congressional recognition for excellence in educational leadership and STEM Entrepreneur of the year.

In December of 2017, AeroStar held its first “Winter Wings” fundraiser to celebrate its growth and acknowledge the donors helping support its vision for 2018. The company hoped to reach a fundraising goal of $250,000 for the new year, and before the ball dropped, half of the goal had been reached. Primarily thanks to major gifts from four supporters: The Boeing Company, United Airlines, Milhouse Charities, and Landrum & Brown

From Boeing, AeroStar’s $75,000 award was one of 188 “Our Future: Tomorrow’s Innovators” grants targeting increased STEM diversity, proficiency and interest among K-12 students. United Airlines presented 34 open-ended airline tickets, valued at nearly $24,000, to take high school AeroStar students on a trip to Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner manufacturing plant in Charleston, South Carolina this spring. Milhouse Charities, whose focus is on preparing youth for engineering careers, and Landrum & Brown, a global airport planning firm in Chicago, were also big supporters, giving $10,000 and $5,000 respectively.

The four organizations, in providing their support, are recognizing the AeroStar Avion Institute, its founder, and the importance of the dream she is bringing to life. “I knew it was going to happen,” Holmes said, tears in her eyes, “But the emotions that come with the realization of a dream, you can't even put words to.”

Each donor has pledged, on top of their generous donations, resources and support to assist AeroStar on their mission to impact change for Chicago area youth, and create employment opportunities for them in areas where people of color lack representation: Aviation and STEM. According to reports put out by Boeing, more than 1.2 million aviation professionals will be needed in the next 20 years. That's about 87 pilots per day, to meet the forecast demand globally.

In her 2017 TEDx Talk titled "Get Kids High," Tammera shares how important engaging youth in STEM is for not only inclusion, but violence reduction, supplemental academic support, workforce development through pipelining and even corporate social responsibility. All of which have struck a nerve with both industry and academia.

“It's incredible,” Holmes said. “To have an idea that everyone tells you is a good idea and have it come to life. [To] make it possible for so many kids that don't have a chance, opportunity or support to pursue aviation, to come make some noise after school, build stuff and get engaged on a different level.”

Holmes is not stopping at the halfway mark. AeroStar plans to reach its 2018 fundraising goal by second quarter in hopes to open its first headquarters in Chicago. She envisions the space to be created for youth; not just as a place to do something fun, but as an education and training center with rigorous programs that lead directly to a career. The AeroStar Avion Institute is truly giving wings to dreams.

To find out more about AeroStar, our programs and upcoming events, visit www.AvionInstitute.org. For media inquiries email [email protected]. Get social with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.