Dawit Lemma, MD and Founder of Krimson Aviation, discusses the launch the Krimson Aviation Purdue University diversity scholarships.   The Krimson Purdue Scholarships

During my time at Purdue, I was acutely aware of how under-represented ethnic minorities and women were in the student population, and as I’ve carved my path in aviation, I have also encountered similar discrepancies.

Purdue provided me with a valuable education, comradery from fellow students and practical advice from tutors and advisors. This gave me the confidence to navigate the international aviation environment. However, my experiences also made me conscious of the need to create more opportunities for under-represented communities whenever I had the chance. It is therefore with great delight that I am now in a position to influence positive change with the launch of the Krimson Aviation Purdue University diversity scholarships.

Aviation is a tool like no other. It can bring people together from any corner of the world in a way that zoom meetings and facetimes still haven’t quite managed to do. It has allowed us to explore our world and experience places that were once unthinkable. It saves lives and communities, whether through extinguishing forest fires, delivering humanitarian aid or conducting medevac missions in remote locations. I will be forever grateful for everything aviation has brought into my life, and the impact it makes on our world every single day. However, the truth is we still face an industrywide challenge to diversify our workforce.

Dawit Lemma presents the Ethiopian flag to Tom Frooninckx, Interim Head of the School of Aviation and Transportation Technology (SATT) at Purdue University.

The industry continues to evolve with spectacular technological advances. VTOL and commercial space flights will change how we perceive flight and travel itself. The setting ambitious goals set to build a carbon neutral future are admirable. Yet in some ways we are holding ourselves back by not embracing the new ideas, different perspectives, multi-cultural social experiences and emotional intelligence that diversity in the workplace can bring. The industry is now at a turning point with a lot of exciting developments around the corner and it would be a shame to not have the very best people for the job involved at this pivotal time.

Dawit Lemma with Caroline Marete, a PhD student with the School of Aviation and Transportation Technology, who read a message from Elizabeth Dornak, Chair of Board of Directors, NBAA.

When I launched Krimson Aviation in Addis Ababa, I made it a point to be the change I wanted to see in our industry. Africa is a developing market for business aviation, and as we face the challenges of understanding the nuances, regulations and practicalities of operating on the continent, our diverse executive team became one of our strengths. It allows us to see situations from different perspectives and find unique solutions for our issues. Our board now consists of a 50/50 mix of men and women, and it has made an immensely positive impact on the success of our business.

That is why, the opportunity to launch the Krimson Aviation Scholarship and Krimson Business Opportunity Program (BOP) was essential for me, and my team at Krimson. Everything came full circle. I had the chance to go to the place where my formal aviation education started and give back to the next generations of aviation professional, while addressing the key issue of under-representation of ethnic minorities and women in both the aviation industry as well higher education institutes.

The cross-school $100 000 grant will contribute funds to students enrolled in both the School of Aviation and Transportation Technology (SATT) in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute as well as the Dr. Cornell A. Bell BOP Scholarship, within the Krannert School of Management. We wanted to emphasize the importance of managing the business of aviation, while also gaining essential understanding of the industry’s technical side.

Our goal is to inspire more young people from different backgrounds to spread their wings. It truly is an incredible journey that has brought me, and many others, so much joy. We hope this initiative can do the same for our future colleagues by making their path a little easier than ours was. The scholarship is our first step towards empowering the next generation, while championing diversity and strengthening the relationships between African and North American businesses.

I hope this small step inspires colleagues to think more broadly when it comes to sourcing new recruits. I hope it sparks the minds of bright young Purdue and help them realise their full potential. The future generations are the ones that will offer aviation what it so desperately needs at this time of change, a new way of doing things that is better suited for our future.

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 21st October 2021 | Issue #626