Exhibit hall at the 2026 WAI Conference in Grapevine, Texas [Credit: Francecsa Baldi]
Key Takeaways:
The author, an aviation student at Western Michigan University, details her transformative first experience attending the 37th annual Women in Aviation International (WAI) Conference.
She found inspiration from speakers like Nicole Malachowski and received invaluable career advice and encouragement from numerous pilots and industry professionals during networking opportunities.
The conference, despite being overwhelming, affirmed her career choice, provided significant insights into the aviation world, and offered useful breakout sessions on topics from airlines to leadership.
She highly recommends the WAI Conference to anyone interested in the industry, highlighting the supportive and encouraging community for aspiring female aviation professionals.
Growing up I was not quite sure what I wanted to be.
I threw out ideas occasionally, but nothing made me excited. Not until I was at the beach with my friends and saw a little airplane fly over. I had seen planes fly over the beach hundreds of times as I lived in Maine as a small child and then moved to New Hampshire when I was 8.
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Francesca Baldi is a sophomore student at Western Michigan University studying aviation flight science. From New Hampshire, she lived in Maine but was actually born in Michigan. She enjoys music, including DJing a radio show for WIDR-FM, reading, spending time with friends, and flying.
![Francecsa Baldi, a student pilot who attends Western Michigan University [Credit: Francecsa Baldi]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_8671-1-scaled-e1775059979731.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1)
![Exhibit hall at the 2026 WAI Conference in Grapevine, Texas [Credit: Francecsa Baldi]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_8494-scaled.jpg)
![Francecsa Baldi, a student pilot who attends Western Michigan University [Credit: Francecsa Baldi]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_8671-1-scaled-e1775059979731.jpg?w=293)
