The JetBlue Foundation Fuels STEM Education with Grants for Six Aviation Programs

31 Mar 2017, 11:52 AM EDT

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) today announced the latest round of grants
provided by the JetBlue Foundation, an education-focused entity which
furthers the airline’s effort to place aviation top-of-mind as a career
choice for students. The JetBlue Foundation will help fuel six aviation
programs with $162,000 in grants for science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM) based initiatives.

The JetBlue Foundation seeks out programs focusing on communities
traditionally under-represented in STEM fields including women, minority
groups and veterans. Beyond just grants, the JetBlue Foundation provides in-kind
support, mentoring,
internships and more to make a difference for the next generation of
aviators, dispatchers, aircraft mechanics and pilots. Over the past four
years, the Foundation has built lasting relationships with more than 26
aviation-focused programs and provided $512,000 in grants to help these
programs take off.

“According to the FAA, less than seven percent of commercial pilots and
three percent of aircraft mechanics are women. For people of color,
these statistics are just as low,” said Joanna Geraghty, president of
The JetBlue Foundation. “We must fuel the talent pipeline now with
diversity and focused educational training to ensure the future of our
industry. Our goal is to provide access early on to prepare students for
jobs after high school or for college.”

On March 31, the JetBlue Foundation hosted its fourth annual grant
presentation with a special event at the New York Hall of Science, a
hands-on, energetic educational museum where students can indulge their
curiosity and creativity. The museum explores how technology and play
affect learning. In addition to a tour of the museum, aspiring aviators,
administrators and students were treated to a special behind-the-scenes
tour of JetBlue’s home terminal – T5 at New York’s JFK Airport – where
they were able to see the inner works of an airline. The event also
included opportunities for the students to learn more about the various
career opportunities available at JetBlue.

This year’s JetBlue Foundation grant recipients include:

Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology (Flushing, NY) –
Vaughn College will use this grant to purchase a flight simulator and
develop programming. Their goal is to expose 600 New York City area
high schoolers and Vaughn College students to flight learning and
related careers. The funds will also further enhance the college’s
flight operations training curriculum.
Hiller Aviation Museum (San Carlos, CA) – The museum will
utilize these funds to develop the “Real Time Weather and Air Traffic
Control Exhibit,” a new interactive exhibit in its Working World of
Aviation gallery. The program will provide STEM learning outside of
the formal classroom and for San Francisco area students from
low-income backgrounds. The initiative will focus on students in
grades 4-8.
Above The Clouds (Norwood, MA) – Above the Clouds creates a
spark for aviation among at-risk teens. This grant will help fund the
Cadet Flyers, Discovery Flyers and Dream Flyers programs and
maintenance for a Piper Warrior II aircraft, allowing students ages
6-18 to take flight lessons with Certified Flight Instructors.

The JetBlue Foundation is continuing JetBlue’s mission of inspiring
humanity and will also provide support and special consultation to three
developing programs to help them expand on new aviation-focused
initiatives.

Worcester County Horticultural Society (Worcester, MA) – The
Worcester Tree Initiative will use this funding to develop an
environmental education program focused on inner city youth. This
program will consists of two hands-on training components: field-based
learning and computer lab learning that uses a software application to
incorporate the results of light detection and range sensing to
understand the urban forest canopy.
New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) (Corona, NY) – NYSCI will use
their grant to support the Science Career Ladder initiative – a
nationally recognized program for engaging under-represented groups in
STEM. The Science Career Ladder recruits high school and college
students as “Explainers” to interact with NYSCI’s visitors, fostering
conversations about science exhibits and activities.
Trident Technical College Foundation (North Charleston, SC) –
Trident will use these funds towards the purchase of a Flight Deck
Simulation Trainer. The simulator will provide students with
real-world, hands-on experience working on a large airplane, preparing
them for aeronautical industry-standard work.

JetBlue supports STEM education through a variety of initiatives. The
airline hosts a unique education pathway from relationships with
elementary school students and mentoring high school and college
students to its University Gateway Program, which leads to positions as
Pilot Trainees with JetBlue.

The JetBlue Foundation, founded in 2013, is legally independent from
JetBlue and has a separate Board of Directors and an Advisory Committee
both made up of JetBlue crewmembers from across the airline. To learn
more about the JetBlue Foundation, visit www.jetblue.com/InspiringHumanity.

ABOUT JETBLUE

JetBlue is New York’s Hometown Airline^®, and a leading
carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles (Long
Beach), Orlando, and San Juan. JetBlue carries more than 35 million
customers a year to 101 cities in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin
America with an average of 1,000 daily flights. For more information
please visit jetblue.com.

Contacts

JetBlue Corporate Communications
Tel: +1-718-709-3089
corpcomm@jetblue.com