Pilot Nia Gilliam-Wordlaw aims to inspire next generation of female pilots of color through 'Sisters of the Skies'
CHICAGO (CBS) – During Women's History Month, we're bringing you stories of inspiring women.
CBS 2' Suzanne Le Mignot introduces us to pilot Nia Gilliam-Wordlaw who wants to make sure there's no ceiling in the sky when it comes to young women of color achieving their aviation dreams.
Growing up in Broadview, Nia Gilliam-Wordlaw, constantly expressed her fascination with airplanes. As young as ten, she'd point out different planes in the sky to her parents as pilots flew to and from O'Hare.
Gilliam-Wordlaw says her parents, Alma and John Gilliam, always supported her passion for flying. When she was ten, her mother brought home an article about Bessie Coleman -- the first African American Native American woman to have a pilot license that she had to earn in France because of her race and gender.
"Bessie Coleman became my first mentor. That little article, I framed and put it by my bedside," she said. "I looked at her story as inspiration. She could do it back then with the challenges she faced, there was no reason in the 80's I couldn't grow up accomplish my dreams."
She started flying at 17 and received her private pilot's license at 18. In 1997, Gilliam-Wordlaw took a photo as an intern, at United, standing in front of a Boeing 777. Today, at the age of 46, she's a first officer for United Airlines, flying a Boeing 777 internationally. She says she's paid well over six figures and gets to see the world.
"No one in my family is in aviation. I didn't know any pilots. That didn't stop me from telling everyone, I was going to be a pilot."
Gilliam-Wordlaw says her high school history teacher at Oak Park River Forest, Eleanor Marquez, also played an important role in her career. She gave her this obituary, of Janet Harmon Bragg, the first black woman to earn a commercial pilot's license. The 17-year-old ditched school to attend the funeral.
"I needed to see someone that looked like me. It was confirmation that I too, could achieve my goals," she said.
It was at Harmon Bragg's funeral where Gilliam-Wordlaw would meet her aviation mentor Stacye Harris, an air force and United Airlines pilot. Here's a picture of the two in their uniforms.
Gilliam-Wordlaw counts Harris, late aviation historian Rufus A. Hunt and Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame inductee and Tuskegee Airmen Chicago Chapter President, Ken Rapier, as people who paved her path to aviation success.
Now, she's giving back.
She along with UPS pilot Angel Hughes, founded "Sisters of the Skies", in 2017 to mentor the next generation of female pilots of color. Less than one percent of FAA certified airline transport pilots in the United States are black women.
"In this business, I have often times been the only woman, the only black person, the only black woman."
Through her organization, Gilliam-Wordlaw wants to triple the number of female pilots of color in the next five years.
"We have young ladies at the regional airlines, young ladies in flight training for the military and it's definitely going to happen, because I'm about accomplishing goals," she said with a big smile.
Through the organization's "Girls Rock Wings" events, girls between the ages of ten and 18 get a bird's eye view of aviation.
"All of our instructors were members of Sisters of the Skies, so what a wonderful opportunity for these young ladies to see women that look like them, so they can see it, believe it, and be it, a pilot."
Flight training and FAA certification can cost anywhere from $80,000 to $100,000 for an aspiring pilot, which is why Gilliam-Wordlaw says there are not many people of color in the profession. With the goal of changing that, "Sisters of the Skies" has given out more than half a million dollars in flight training scholarships in the past four years.
"We're helping the young women see their dream can be a reality and I'm very, very proud of this organization."
Gilliam-Wordlaw says she will continue making sure, there's no ceiling in the sky, when it comes to young women of color, aspiring to be pilots.
Sisters of the Skies is an all-volunteer organization that relies on donations to help the next generation of young female pilots of color succeed. If you would like to make a donation you can visit their website.
View the extended version of Gilliam-Wordlaw's story below:
