2024 Scholarship Presented at EAA

We are thrilled to announce that the Remington Viney Legacy and Women in Aviation—Four Lakes chapter presented our annual aviation scholarship at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024 on WomenVenture Day, July 24. Remington was an avid EAA attendee and held the rank of SSgt in the 115th Air National Guard Wing of Madison, WI. The 115th ANG has coordinated and is sponsoring this presentation to honor her legacy. After hearing from a panel of Air Force pilots, we presented a $5,000 scholarship to Tess Wallner and a $2,500 scholarship to Jen Braaksma. 

Tess, our 1st place recipient, is a shining example of the impact mentoring can have on others. When she was 11, she had her first flight at AirVenture through the Young Eagles program. She attended the Women Soar, You Soar girls’ camp for three consecutive years. As an adult, she has continued her involvement by volunteering at many aviation-related events, including AirVenture. She is a member of Women in Aviation International and Women in Conservation. She is a 2021 graduate of UW-Stevens Point with a Bachelor of Science in Soil and Land Management with a minor in Water Resources. She is a Green County Land and Water Conservation Department conservation technician.  She holds a Part 107 Drone certification, and with the scholarship, she plans to obtain her Private Pilot’s License. Ultimately, she envisions a career that combines aviation and natural resources.

 Jenn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management and has worked successfully in marketing. She has wanted to become a pilot since she was 13, but life provided a different path. Her volunteer-oriented nature is one of her many respected and impressive personal characteristics. She founded the first women’s half marathon in Madison and started an organization to promote safe driving and responsible cycling called The Cookie Project. She is an endurance athlete and is a three-time Ironman Wisconsin finisher. When she’s not busy with this, she volunteers to help animals. She spent the last 15 years doing animal rescue transports all over the Midwest, including overnight transports to take dogs off the streets of Houston. With this scholarship, she aims to become a pilot and provide animal rescue transport by plane. She is highly self-motivated and has achieved many goals by embodying the motto: long-term consistency is better than short-term intensity.