With your generous support, we provide financial assistance to promising young women who are working on obtaining a private pilot’s license or any subsequent flight ratings as part of their advancement into their desired careers in aviation. Our scholarships are offered through the Women in Aviation International (WAI) organization, of which Val was an avid member. She encouraged fellow female aviators to attend the annual conference, and she advocated for and embodied female mentorship within the naval aviation community, inspiring other women to follow in her footsteps.
The Lt. Valerie Cappelaere Delaney Memorial Scholarship started in 2014 as a $1,000 scholarship and has since increased to $10,000, which makes a huge difference in offsetting the financial burden of private flight training. Our scholars are selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants and embody many of the same characteristics as Val and other women in the military aviation community. We provide assistance to the selected scholarship recipient to attend the annual WAI Conference so that we can present the award in person and they can get the added experience and benefits of the conference. We have facilitated a tight network among our scholarship recipients and have been amazed to follow their incredible career advancements within aviation when we attend and support them to attend the WAI Conference each year. Get to know our past scholars below and consider donating to help us keep Val’s legacy alive by assisting more women in earning their pilot’s wings!
Meet The 2025 Scholarship Winners
Learn about all of our past scholars
Tara Tomasegovich (2024)
The second runner-up for the 2024 W4V Foundation Lieutenant Valerie Cappelaere Delaney Memorial Scholarship is Tara Tomasegovich of McDavid, Florida. Tara received $2,000 for this award, paid directly to her flight school. She is a [...]
Renaye Lavin (2024)
The winner of the 2024 W4V Drone Training & Photography Scholarship worth $5,000 is Renaye Lavin of Wasilla, Alaska. Renaye is an air battle manager and C-130H loadmaster for the Alaska Air National Guard. She [...]
Julie Hendricks (2024)
Jeri Hendricks, of Ogden, Utah, is the winner of the $3,000 W4V Captain Sara Knutson Cullen Memorial Scholarship. Jeri holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Wyoming, and after spending a decade in the [...]
Adriana Frick (2024)
Adriana Frick of Marietta, Georgia, is the first runner-up for the 2024 W4V Foundation Lieutenant Valerie Cappelaere Delaney Memorial Scholarship, earning $3,000 paid directly to her flight school. Adriana is a third-year physics major at [...]
SARAH FIGUEROA (2024)
Sarah Figueroa from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, is the 2024 winner of the $5,000 W4V Foundation Lieutenant Valerie Cappelaere Delaney Memorial Scholarship! Sarah founded BetaWolf Media, a marketing firm specializing in digital strategies for conservation, functional [...]
EMILY NEWCOMBE (2023)
The 2023 Runner-up for the LT Valerie Cappelaere Delaney Memorial Scholarship, who won $1,000.00, is Emily Newcombe of Hamilton, Montana. Emily studied Forestry at Virginia Tech and started working as a wildland firefighter while [...]
