An aspiring pilot and former Greenwood resident who dreams of someday flying commercial airplanes and U.S. Air Force transport planes received a sizable donation to fund her education and training after appearing on singer Kelly Clarkson’s talk show.
Cailey Stewart, an 18-year-old high school senior in Los Angeles, appeared with her mother, flight attendant Sherie Stewart, during a segment about Black female pilots on an episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” that aired Wednesday.
During the show, Boeing, the multinational aerospace company, announced to Cailey Stewart that it would provide her $50,000 for her education.
“Honestly, for me that was the best experience of my life,” she said. “It was like a dream come true.”
Within the flight industry, there are fewer than 150 Black woman pilots, according to Sisters of the Skies, an organization that aims to encourage Black woman to pursue flying as a career by offering mentorships and scholarships.
Stewart has joined her mother on flights before. She specifically remembered a flight to Hawaii when she was 14. She got to see the cockpit and became interested in the buttons on the dashboard and how planes soar through the sky.
Two years ago, she participated in a two-week pilot program at the airport in Olive Branch that was hosted by the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals. At that camp, she had her first solo flight.
Stewart also told Clarkson that when she’s in the sky she feels close to her older brother, Jaylen
Bell, who was killed in a road rage incident three years ago.
Stewart began her education in Greenwood when she lived with her grandmother, Jacquelyn Haley. Stewart attended Gilliam Head Start Center, Claudine Brown Elementary School and St. Francis of Assisi School before moving to Los Angeles.
“These were the schools that gave her the foundation to start her education,” Haley said.
Two members of the Sisters of the Skies organization — Theresa Claiborne, a United Airlines pilot and the first Black woman pilot for the U.S. Air Force, and Beth Powell, an American Airlines pilot — also appeared on Clarkson’s show alongside Stewart and her mother.
Claiborne and Powell told Stewart they were impressed with her feats, and both offered to be mentors for her as she works toward becoming a pilot.
Stewart’s next step was to secure funding for college and a flight program — and that’s where Boeing stepped in. Additionally, the company said it would donate $10,000 to Sisters of the Skies.
“It was amazing. I didn’t know exactly what they were going to be doing. I just now they wanted to talk to Cailey about her flying,” said Sherie Stewart.
Cailey Stewart said she’s grateful for the opportunity and hopes to inspire others. “She’s going to be a young person to mentor other young girls to show them that they can do this also,” Haley said.
• Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
