Biography
Greetings, my name is Shaesta Waiz and I am the pilot behind Dreams Soar. I would like to share with you a little about myself along with the inspiration behind the Dreams Soar initiative. I was born in a refugee camp in Afghanistan. My family and I traveled from Afghanistan to America in 1987 to escape the Afghan-Soviet war. I grew up with my parents and five sisters in Richmond, California. We lived in an underprivileged school district where substitute teachers, sharing textbooks with my classmates, and watching my good friends drop out of high school was the norm. I believed my future consisted of getting married at a young age and starting a big family.
It wasn’t until I found aviation that I started thinking about having a career and going to college. After a long journey of pursuing an education in a non-traditional field, I am the first certified civilian female pilot from Afghanistan and the first in my family to obtain both a bachelor’s and master’s degree.
After successfully starting the Women’s Ambassador Program in 2012 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a program that mentors and supports young women pursuing an education in aviation and engineering, I sought out to advance my efforts to a global scale. I created the Dreams Soar Initiative to share my story with women around the world that it is possible to achieve their dreams, regardless of the challenges and traditions they may face in their country.
The Dreams Soar mission is to partner with strong female figures along the 31 stops included in the route and together, share and promote the importance of STEM education.
Every time I open the door to an aircraft, I ask myself, “How did a girl with my background become so lucky?” The truth is, anyone can be me. You must believe in yourself and allow your dreams to soar.