Celebrating 50 Years of Aviation: Alumni Feature - Monica (Skrezyna) Bennett (C'19), Dallas (Syverson) Gonzalez (C'17), and Kate Hanley (C'22)

Three Aspiring Aviators

Monica (Skrezyn) Bennett (C'19), Dallas (Syverson) Gonzalez (C'17), and Katharine "Kate" Hanley (C'22) discovered their passion for aviation thanks to the encouragement and support of their parents, who gifted them with introductory flights that ignited their dreams and led them to the University of Dubuque.

A college journey, especially in the aviation field, is unique to every student, but Monica, Dallas, and Kate all agree that the UD aviation program set them up for success in many ways. For Monica, it was strengthening her confidence in test taking and in her own flying skills. Kate credits the program for teaching her self-reliance, motivation, and the importance of putting in the work outside of classes and flight blocks. Dallas appreciated the freedom the program offered, but also the support to fly in challenging and new conditions.

Three Members of UD's First Female Race Team

In June 2018, Monica, Dallas, and Kate made UD history by being the first team to participate in the 42nd Air Race Classic (ARC), an annual all-women cross-country airplane race. The "Lady Spartans" took to the sky and flew a Top Hawk Cessna 172 aircraft for a 2,656-mile sprint race across the United States from Sweetwater, Texas, to Fryeburg, Maine.

For the UD aviators, preparing for and participating in the ARC was a significant undertaking that involved extensive planning and coordination, including financial estimates as well as pilot and maintenance requirements. Despite the challenges they faced, like a storm that shortened the race from nine segments to three, the women credit the experience for strengthening their skills as pilots. They also were able to make many connections within the aviation community.

Reflecting on their journey, the women all have fond memories of their time together and how they grew as pilots:

"It took a lot of diligent planning to make it a reality, and it had some trials and tribulations but I think it made us better pilots," Dallas said. "We had to apply concepts that we had learned about during training to real life scenarios."

Monica shared, "This experience taught me how to navigate storms like no other training could give and I use those techniques till this day. It taught me how to work with a crew and make decisions together."

Kate added, "Not only was the learning aspect helpful, but getting to meet so many passionate, female pilots made me feel more accepted in the aviation community as a whole."

Three UD Aviation Graduates and Flight Instructors

Now as graduates, Monica, Dallas, and Kate are thankful for the opportunities they had at UD, both as students and professionally. Following graduation, Dallas worked at UD as a certified flight instructor before beginning her airline career at Skywest Airlines. She now serves UD as an assistant chief flight instructor and flies an Airbus for Spirit Airlines. Monica began flight instructing immediately after graduating, where she loved seeing her students pass their flight tests and get their "ah ha!" moments. She went on to work for SkyWest Airlines and is currently flying for Southwest Airlines. Kate continues to flight instruct at the University, where she enjoys sharing her love for aviation with current UD students.

Blue Skies and Tailwinds, Spartans - see you at Homecoming 2024, October 3-5!