A 24-year-old Nigerian lady named Miracle Izuchukwu has made history as the youngest licensed black female commercial pilot in the United States of America.
Miracle said she grew up in a society that did not encourage young girls to dream big, career-wise but she remained determined. ”I remember watching lots of TED Talks to give myself more insights on possible careers that might interest me…to no avail,” she said.
She said she initially joined the aviation industry when she became a flight attendant with American Airlines.
Miracle said she had always wanted to become an Airline Pilot when she first encountered one while she was still working as a customer service representative.
She said the pilot opened her eyes to the possibility of becoming a Pilot and a few weeks later, she went on a discovery flight that sealed it for her.
Miracle said she was almost discouraged when she excitedly told her father about her plans but she said he told her that “if he gets on a plane and sees a woman as the pilot, he would get off the plane.”
Despite that, she believed that she would make it. She used the discouragement as a motivation to keep her going. With hard work, she earned her Private Pilots License in 2021.
She continued with her training and worked towards becoming a licensed commercial pilot with three stripes. She shared her achievement of becoming not only a licensed pilot but the one of the youngest in the United States.
Miracle Izuchukwu becomes youngest licensed commercial pilot in US
“Whoever it is praying for me, don’t stop, it’s working. I joined the elite group of 7% of female and 1% of black female pilots in the world. It’s an exhilarating, yet surreal feeling to introduce myself to the world as a Pilot,” she wrote on her Instagram.
Miracle said her plan is to travel the world and meet young girls from Africa to provide support because there is a lack of resources and opportunities for them to pursue careers in aviation.
She added that her goal is to inspire the young girls by showcasing herself in her pilot uniform, demonstrating that they too can become pilots.
