McHenry native wins Women in Aviation Scholarship at SIU Celebrate Women awards

McHenry native Sarah Michalak was recently honored with the inaugural Loralei Ruiz Women in Aviation Scholarship at the 27th annual Celebrate Women: Honoring Inclusive Excellence Benefit for Women’s Scholarships at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Michalak, an aviation management major, was one of two women to receive the scholarship. The Carbondale branch of the American Association of University Women said that the applicants were so impressive this year that the decision was made to present two scholarships this year in honor of Ruiz, an aviation faculty member who recently retired as associate professor after more than 20 years at SIU.

The event featured remarks from SIU System President Dan Mahony and Christine Zoerlein Albertson, an SIU aviation management alumna and commercial pilot.