(L-R) Christopher Fischer, William Brophy, Curtis Lewis, Peter Popovich, Kendall Lane, Jordan DiGrazia, David Bias, Angela Stearn, Mike, Courtney Copping, Nef Moya-Aranzubia, Daniel Harrington, Ryan Veldman, Daniel McMahon, Joshua Mech

(Email from Daniel):
Mike,
I wanted to thank you for your generosity and continuously giving back to the aviation industry. Without the help of scholarships many students including myself would be struggling to find the financial support needed to achieve our dreams. Your success in the aviation industry is a direct reflection of your commitment and dedication to the aviation industry as your continue to help and support aviation students. This scholarship will help me pay for the Air Executive Transportation course which allows me to build valuable experience transporting passengers in a multi engine aircraft while maintaining a time sensitive schedule. It was a pleasure to meet part of your family and I hope to build a relationship that will last a lifetime. Again I appreciate all you do for SIU aviation and allowing me to be a recipient of such an honorable scholarship. Your generous actions and financial support has inspired me to make it a personal priority to give back and pay it forward in the future.

Thanks,
Daniel McMahon

(Email from Joshua):
Mike,
Also, thank you so much for being such a fantastic contributor to SIU aviation this year and in years past. You have helped myself and so many other people reach their goals and dreams. My ultimate goal is to fly for a major airline. You and your family are a part of helping me achieve this goal, through the scholarship that I was just awarded and your website which I plan to utilize to a great extent in the near future when I start getting ready for the airline interview process.

Thank you so much for awarding me one of the 2011 Aviationinterviews.com scholarships. I was extremely honored to receive the scholarship and I will use it to help offset the costs of my multi engine flight training that I will start next year. Flight training is expensive and this scholarship, without a doubt, will help ease the financial burden and stress that comes with learning how to fly.

Thanks for everything you did for me and SIU Aviation.

Sincerely,
Josh Mech

(Email from Jordan):
Dear Mike,
I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate receiving an AviationInterviews.com scholarship. A huge financial burden has been relieved for myself, and the rest of my family. As I told you, your mom, and your brother, I am the oldest of four kids, three of which are currently in college. By receiving this scholarship, it is not only helping to pay one of those tuitions, but it is also allowing an example to be set for my younger siblings; hard work, dedication, and eagerness to achieve your goals will always pay off in the end. You can never win if you don't try.

Your generosity and willingness to "pay it forward" is truly admirable, and an inspiration to me. I feel very lucky to have been given the opportunity to meet someone like you. I can only hope that one day I am fortunate enough to help support and inspire the future leaders of aviation, especially at SIUC.

Thank you so much, I hope to see you again soon!

Kind regards,
Jordan DiGrazia

(Email from Nef):
Dear Mike and The AviationInterviews Team,
I would like to thank you, your team and Aviationinterviews.com as well as other donors who make this scholarship possible. I personally appreciate the treatment and professionalism throughout the candidate selection process. As an International student I feel fortunate to be awarded and recognized by such an important company. For us, young professionals, trying to put a foot in the door can be challenging sometimes. I encourage any aviation student or professional to research and apply. Definitely getting involved as well as being diverse will help you.

It has been an honor to be awarded with such an distinguished scholarship. It has showed me that hard work, innovation and initiative pays off. It has better economically prepared me to become a better and more successful professional willing to return the favor back when my time will come. Help and you will be helped.

Once again, Muchas Gracias.
Nef Moya-Aranzubia

(Email from David):
Dear Mike,
I can't even begin to tell you how much receiving an AviationInterviews.com scholarship has affected me. To me this scholarship not only means that I can remain in school and continue my education, but also means I can continue to work towards obtaining my lifelong dream of being a airline pilot. As you know within the last year my family has falling on financial hardship due to my mother's fight with cancer, because of this I would constantly wonder if I would be able to remain in school and continue my training, this is something that would haunt me every day and night. Having a dream that you work so hard towards with the possibility that it could be ripped away from you by means that are out of your control is absolutely scary. I sometimes would find myself stressing about this very possible outcome in my classes and during lessons in the airplane, but now the stress of not being able to continue my education and dreams has been relieved. The Aviationinterviews.com scholarship has taking away the stresses that I had, this scholarship has not only helped me but my family as well. I know that my parents try to help me as much as they can which takes a toll on them and this I feel guilty for, because of this AviationInterviews.com scholarship I know my parents can now feel some relief. It's so hard to convey how grateful and honored I am to have received this scholarship. I do know that I can show my appreciation by showing the same willingness to give back to others the way you have done for me. Receiving this scholarship has shown me the importance of giving back and paying it forward and what huge effect that doing so can have in one's life. Mike you are a huge role model and leader and I hope that one day I will be in the place where I can help others to accomplish their goals like you have done for me. You're not only helping people complete their education and accomplish goals, your also showing us how to be better people and because of your willingness to pay it forward you are greatly effecting and changing many people's lives. I am so happy and lucky to have met you and I will always remember what you have done for me and just how important it is to pay it forward.

Sincerely and with great appreciation,
David Bias

(Email from Peter):
Dear Mike,
It is hard to express in words the overwhelming appreciation I have for you and your family for selecting me as one of the 2011 Aviationinterviews.com scholarship recipients. This scholarship not only helps ease the financial expenses of flight training, but it also gives me a great feeling to know my hard work has been recognized. My dream to become a pilot in the airlines once seemed like an impossible task; however, thanks to people like yourself and the Aviationinterviews.com team I can feel it close at hand. My family and I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for helping me continue my path in the great field of aviation. I am truly inspired by your generosity and graciousness to help fellow aviators and cannot wait to one day be able to "pay it forward" as well.

With sincere thanks,
Peter Popovich

(Email from Bill):
Mike,
I'm honored to to have been selected as one of the 2011 Aviation Interviews.com Aviation Scholarship recipients. It means a great deal to me that people such as yourself and your family find value not only in the accomplishments I have made here at SIUC, but in my future goals as well. This scholarship will help ease financial burdens as I continue my education. I intend to support your mantra of "paying it forward" in my remaining time as a student and as a professional in this industry . Thank you for your continuing support of the students of this program it makes a world of difference.

Sincerely,
Bill Brophy

(Email from Christopher):
Mike,
Wow! This is my third year in a row as one of your scholarship recipients and I cannot express my gratitude enough!

Once again you have helped to ease my burden of student loan debt that resulted from the expensive cost of receiving an aviation education.

Mike you are and always will be an inspiration for the aviation students at SIU. Your story of success and your continuous philanthropy of giving back have aided so many, including myself, in our pursuit of our goals and dreams.

I will never take for granted the finical support you have so graciously bestowed upon me. I hope to return the favor by striving to one day be able to give back to SIU and the aviation community that has already given me so much. Due to your generosity I will never forget to "pay it forward".

Thank you for all that you do.

Sincerely,
Christopher Fischer

(Email from Courtney):
Dear Mike,
I would like to thank you once again for this scholarship. I am planning on putting it towards my muti-engine rating and this will surely help speed up my progress. I hope to see you again soon at the alumni events and as always, I will be checking the website!

Sincerely,
Courtney Copping

(Email from Curt):
Mike,
I just wanted to thank you again and tell you how much I appreciate all that you have done for me and others in my position here at SIU with the generous distribution of the AviationInterviews.com scholarships. As I am sure you know, they help greatly in the financial burden that any college student (and especially those in aviation) must cope with. The 'paying it forward' focus of this process has really excited me to find ways that I can give back to the aviation community both now, as well as in the future.

Thanks!!!
Curt Lewis

(Email from Kendall):
Mike,
I want to personally thank you for the scholarship money you awarded me last Friday night at the AMS banquet. I cannot express how thankful I am that you found me worthy of receiving your scholarship. It is so good to see people that give back and provide opportunities for those in need. I know that in the future I shall one day be able to give back, as you do, and provide scholarships and financial assistance to those pursuing a career in aviation.

Your gracious acts are appreciated sincerely. You have provided me the assistance necessary to continue my pursuit to becoming a airline pilot.

Warm Regards,
Kendall A. Lane

(Email from Ryan):
Mike,
Thank you so much for the scholarship at the awards banquet. I really appreciate the financial help especially when it comes to the huge financial endeavor of college. I know that all of the students are thankful for the contributions of alumni such as yourself. I only hope that I can be in a position one day to give back to the students like you have.

Sincerely,
Ryan Veldman

(Email from Angela):
Dear Mike,
Thank you a million times over for selecting to support me in my aviation endeavors. You and the patrons of aviationinterviews.com have enabled me to continue training for my instrument flight rating and soon move on to earn my commercial license. Your generous use of time and money has inspired me to one day give back when I make it too. Knowing there are people out there that believe I will succeed only gives me more drive to be the best pilot I can be. With this continued encouragement I will be the airline captain of your next flight before we know it! Thank you once more and I hope to see you again in the near future!

Friendly Skies,
Angie Stearn