Miami Dade College (MDC) Foundation and the acclaimed Eig-Watson School of Aviation at MDC recently awarded the prestigious Saul and Lois Eig Watson Scholarship to five students to support their dreams of becoming airline and commercial pilots.
The 2019 scholarship recipients are Jose Manuel Garcia, Yassel Garcia Herrera, Jonathan Sergio Ibarra, Andres Laluz and David F. Zambrano, joining the group of more than 230 aspiring airline and commercial pilots who have received the Saul and Lois Eig Watson Scholarship since it was established at MDC in 1988. Today, it is one of the largest aviation scholarships in the country.
“This is honestly the only way I can put my career forward to give back to the community as a certified flight instructor,” Zambrano said. “I recently got my commercial license and, thanks to the generosity of the Eig Watson family, I’m able to continue my training. I’m proud to be a student at MDC, which is the biggest gateway for aviation in the region.”
The scholarship recipients were honored during a recent MDC Foundation event with the donors and guest speaker MDC alumnus Jose Muñoz, a past scholarship recipient who today is a successful pilot at United Airlines.
“Without this scholarship, there’s a good chance that I wouldn’t be here right now with the job I have and pursuing the career I’ve dreamed of,” Muñoz added. “I think I speak on behalf of all of us who received the scholarship back then and have since been successful — it’s all because of the Eig Watson family and MDC.”
The Saul and Lois Eig Watson Scholarship, awarded annually to outstanding MDC aviation students to support flight training costs, was named in memory of Lois Eig Watson’s late husband, Saul Eig. Lois was a flight student herself and a former faculty member at MDC’s Kendall Campus.
MDC’s prestigious Eig-Watson School of Aviation, also named in their honor, has provided high-quality aviation training for more than 50 years, with associate degrees and certificate programs designed to provide students with the theoretical knowledge and real-world skills needed to succeed in today’s aviation industry. The Eig-Watson School of Aviation is located at MDC’s Homestead Campus with additional locations at the Miami International Airport and Miami Executive Airport (TMB).
For more information, visit www.mdc.edu/aviation.
