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TYNIYAH HARRIS

  • Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2018
  • Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Aeronautical Science, '21
  • Host Institution: Air Line Pilots Association
  • Mentor: Aprille Ericsson

TyNiyah Harris is a freshman student majoring in Aeronautical Science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. As a girl and an African American, TyNiyah didn’t realize flying was an option available to her. Her quest began at the age of 13, when she was selected to participate in the Tuskegee Airmen Aviation Career Training Summer Program. The program offered youth the opportunity to learn about the aerospace industry, which included flight training. The first time she sat in the cockpit, she knew that aviation would be her career choice.

TyNiyah is an aviation enthusiast! Flying is her passion! Her long-term goal is to become a Commercial Airline Pilot for a major airline.

She learned to fly a plane before she could drive a car and soloed at the age of 16. In 2017, she was awarded the LeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation Flight Scholarship and attained her Private Pilot License. She is currently working to attain her instrument rating.

TyNiyah has been featured in several articles from Delta Airlines, SpaceWorks - ASTRO Program, and featured on the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association website. From 2015-2017, she volunteered as the Social Media Chair for the Women in Aviation International Organization – Atlanta Chapter.

She continues to be very active in multiple aviation organizations such as Women in Aviation (WAI), The Organization of Black Aerospace Professional (OBAP), Experimental Aircraft Association(EAA) Chapter 690, and Embry Riddle Aviation Safety Advisory Council.

TyNiyah is an avid volunteer with over 150 hours of community service. Her most recent initiative was Girls in Aviation Day a program for girls ages 8-16. Also, during the summer she gives back by volunteering as a peer counselor for the OBAP Atlanta ACE Academy and Kids Drone Zone where she educates youth about aviation, drones/unmanned system of technology and encourages others to join the STEM industry.

As a Brooke Owens Fellow, TyNiyah will work at the Air Line Pilots Association.