Female Aviation Grad Is First For Standing Rock Lakota Tribe

Standing Rock Lakota Tribe member Elspeth Thomas is a certified commercial pilot and working on her flight instructor certification.

Kimberly Johnson

Friday, December 03, 2021 at 05:30 PM ET

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Though she has always called Grand Forks home, Thomas’ mother was born and raised on the Standing Rock Reservation, and Elspeth has been an enrolled member of the tribe since birth. Courtesy: University of North Dakota

Key Takeaways:

Elspeth Thomas is making history as the first woman from the Standing Rock Lakota tribe to study aviation at the University of North Dakota, where she will graduate as a commercial pilot.
She is a highly accomplished student, having earned multiple pilot certifications and actively participating in various student organizations, despite facing challenges as a first-generation aviation student.
Driven by her Lakota culture's emphasis on community service, Thomas's primary goal is to inspire and create opportunities for more Native Americans to pursue careers in aviation.

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When aviation student Elspeth Thomas graduates from University of North Dakota next summer, she’ll not only be certificated as a commercial pilot, she will also be the first woman from the Standing Rock Lakota tribe to study aviation at the university, according to the school.

Demographic data for UND’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences underscores the accomplishment. Women comprise about 15 percent of students at the Grand Forks, North Dakota, school.