Two Students Earn EAA/Daher Intern Scholarships

May 10, 2018 - Noa Garcia-Brown of Belmont, California, and Riley Ferguson of Lexington, Kentucky, will receive the work internships of a lifetime, as they are the recipients of this year’s EAA/DAHER intern scholarships.

The internship program is now in its 12th year. Each recipient receives a five-week internship at DAHER’s Tarbes facility in France, located in the shadow of the Pyrenees Mountains, followed by a week in Oshkosh where they’ll help DAHER during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018. All travel, lodging, and work experience is included, as well as a side trip to the Airbus facility at Toulouse.

“This opportunity is a one-of-a-kind experience for the internship recipients,” said Nicolas Chabbert, DAHER senior vice president and CEO of SOCATA North America. “They will spend time with our team in France, gaining expertise in their fields of interest — such as marketing, production, organization, design, support, and service. We hope the experience will make a difference in their future careers, while also benefitting our company by working with the next-generation of aviation industry decision-makers.”

Garcia-Brown is in his third year at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, majoring in aeronautical engineering. After earning his undergraduate degree, Garcia-Brown aims to get a master’s degree and eventually work for a company that designs aircraft for the general aviation or business markets. He also has a goal of someday owning a Stearman biplane.

Ferguson is a junior at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, double majoring in neuroscience and English. She holds a private pilot certificate and founded an aviation club at Vanderbilt to encourage young people to fly. After graduation, Ferguson wants to attend medical school and eventually embark on a career that combines her passion for aviation with her training in medicine.

“DAHER’s commitment provides an incentive, a challenge to EAA Young Eagles, an opportunity for them to explore a variety of career directions within the aviation field firsthand, to see what the future holds,” said Dave Chaimson, EAA’s vice president of marketing and business development. “For a student, nothing is more important. The cultural exchange, the educational opportunities, and the impact on their lives are tremendous.”