Sky’s the limit for high-flying sisters from Brampton winning Air Canada scholarship
Published March 8, 2024 at 10:28 am
A pair of sisters and aspiring pilots from Brampton are closer to realizing their mother’s high-flying dreams thanks to a scholarship prize from Air Canada.
Harnoor and Harman Bagarhy both live in the city and are taking courses at the Brampton Flight Centre, with Harnoor pursuing her commercial pilot license while Harman is working towards her multi-crew certification.
The Brampton sisters say they got into the aviation field to fulfil their single mother’s unrealized dream of becoming a pilot, and now are one step closer to that goal after winning the Air Canada Captain Judy Cameron Scholarship.
The scholarship honours Capt. Judy Cameron, the airline’s first-ever female pilot in 1978 at the age of 23, and the first female Canadian captain of a Boeing 777 – the largest aircraft in Air Canada’s fleet.
Air Canada has committed $20,000 per year for three years for the scholarship, which will be split this year between the Bagarhy sisters and other winners from Ontario, Manitoba and B.C.
The airline announced the winners on Friday, which is also International Women’s Day.
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The two Brampton sisters received high praise from Air Canada for their skills and volunteer efforts. Harnoor is a previous recipient of the Ontario Aviation Historical Society Award after receiving the highest academic mark in her Air Cadets class and is an active member of Women in Aviation International, while Harman graduated with the highest grade average in her high school and is a co-anchor with her sister for Junior Girls in Aviation.
“Aviation stands as a beacon of opportunity for women everywhere,” Harman said in a statement. “When more women join the aviation industry, it fosters an environment where no women feels less empowered.”
Air Canada says the Captain Judy Cameron Scholarship helps “the next generation of women follow in her trailblazing footsteps.”
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