Generations of women at UND Aerospace

The days are gone when female students at UND Aerospace asked airlines for pilot applications and got flight-attendant paperwork back, as this Women’s History Month feature makes clear 

By Averie Eixenberger

The history of women in the aviation industry has been marked by resilience and grit. And no women embody those traits better than those from the University of North Dakota, whether they are alumnae or current students.

In September, many generations of UND Aerospace women had the chance to meet and reconnect when alumna Jill Newby received the Sioux Award for Distinguished Achievement & Leadership, an award that honors the University’s most esteemed alumni.

The event provided space to reflect on the history of women in the Aerospace program and to acknowledge the obstacles they have overcome.

2025 Alumni honors: Jill Newby, ’83

Jill Newby grew up with her eyes towards the sky. Her father, a World War II pilot, sparked her interest in flying from a young age. When Newby took the ACT and was sent an assessment of her strengths, her recommended career was that of a pilot.

So, when she initially started college in Bemidji, Minn., she knew exactly which elective to pick.

“I thought, as long as I need an extra class here, I’ll try ‘Introduction to Flight,’ not really reading it because you know, you’re an idiot when you’re a freshman, you don’t read anything,” Newby joked.

“The class, it wasn’t ground school; you had to solo. It said it had to be arranged at the airport, and I thought, ‘Why would I have to take a class at the airport?’ And then I found out what it was, and I said, ‘Oh my God.’

“It took me through soloing, as it was only an introduction,” Newby continued. “I ended up getting my private, and the rest was all over at UND.”

When Newby graduated from UND in 1983, very few women were becoming pilots. But with multiple indicators pointing her toward aviation, she wrote to airlines, asking for advice on how to become a pilot.

They sent her applications to become a flight attendant.

“For women, it’s up to us to be the ones to do that stuff, to open the door for the next generation,” Newby said. “It’s getting slightly better. I don’t want to make it all sound rosy or that it was all wonderful, because it certainly wasn’t. But it is getting better.”

During her time at UND, Newby got involved with everything, including clubs, internships and flight instructing. She worked in the Dean’s Office, gave tours to prospective students, took part in clubs such as Alpha Eta Rho and flew as part of the Flying Team.

“There wasn’t a ‘Woman in Aviation’ club when we were there,” she said. “But I was on the flying team there, and there were, maybe, five women on the team. We called ourselves the Flying Squirrels. I mean, we went to Nationals down in Monroe, La., but it was a tight group of women because there just weren’t that many.”

When she got a shot to interview with United Airlines, Newby had an advantage because of her time at UND. She credits her time at the University and the connections she made for many of her career successes.

“I worked for John Odegard; I knew him very well,” she said. “In fact, before I got hired at United, they said during the interview, ‘Oh, I see you went UND,’ and asked me something about John Odegard. I went, ‘Oh, yeah, well, call him, man. I worked for him.’ It’s funny how many UND people are out there.”

As one of the first 30 women to be hired as pilots for United, Newby faced prejudice and obstacles, and those have continued throughout much of her career. But she persevered, knowing that her efforts would help the other women whom she mentored to succeed.

“I mean, I got told by one guy, ‘You know, you’re taking my son’s job. You should be home; you can be a flight attendant. You’re taking food off the table from a man’s family,’” Newby recalled.

“And a van driver literally asked a captain on the van drive down to Washington, ‘Wait, you fly with her all month?’ And he said, ‘Well, yeah, it’s great.’ And the driver goes, ‘But what happens on those five days? I mean, they can’t possibly let her fly an airplane then.’

“I’ve heard it all,” Newby continued. “I was the first woman on the 767 fleet at United in 1989. That was a real eye-opener for me. It was not a pleasant experience, and I decided that no woman around me would ever have to experience something like that.

“We’ve now moved forward, and things are a lot better.”

Not only is Newby inspiring as a pilot, but also in what she has done outside of flying, including serving as a mentor to those hoping to become pilots. Newby said she wants to serve as a role model for others, just as her mother was for her.

“She was always a very strong woman,” said Newby regarding her mother. “I think she was born at the wrong time; she would have done something given the opportunity. But now, it’s worth trying to make up for it, and hopefully, your kids will have better opportunities than you and so on, so that’s always the goal.

“Especially as women, we have to stick together,” she continued. “Many would like it a lot better if you just stayed home and were a good housewife, cook and cleaner. So, instead, you should kick the door open. And there are plenty of mentors out there now, so I feel like that should help.”

Newby retired this year after 40 years with United Airlines and is looking forward to spending time outdoors and at local farmers’ markets. She advises students who aspire to a career like hers to stay motivated and keep going.

“It’s the best career in the world,” she said. “You know, it’s like anything: you have to stick with it, and there are going to be days that are great, and days that aren’t, just like we train for days with the worst-case scenario.

“Also, have fun. Laugh. Have fun and laugh. That kind of sounds superficial, but it’s true. Everybody’s so serious now.”

The UND Women in Aviation chapter

When Elizabeth Bjerke began her freshman year at UND in 1996, she joined a small student organization for female pilots. It wasn’t until she became president of the organization in 1998 that the club would be formed into a chapter of Women in Aviation International.

“At the time, we were pretty small, because we had probably 7‑8% female students on top of a much smaller student population at that time,” said Bjerke, who now serves as associate dean of Aerospace and faculty advisor to the UND Women in Aviation chapter.

“I remember begging Kent Lovelace, who was chair of the Aviation department at that time, to be our faculty advisor for this new Women in Aviation chapter. We got our bylaws passed, and then as soon as I graduated and joined the faculty, Kent was very happy to give me that faculty advisor role.

“So, I started the chapter in 1998 and actually became the faculty advisor shortly thereafter in 2002.”

The new organization of Women in Aviation offered a few incentives to members, including expanded opportunities for underclassmen, a focus on women in all parts of the industry (including maintenance and management), and an annual conference where members could meet other women in the industry and find opportunities to advance their careers.

When the UND club was formed, it was one of the first collegiate chapters of the international organization.

“It’s been amazing to see how it has grown and the activities that we have done throughout the years, as well as some of the traditions we have maintained,” Bjerke said.

For example, “we have been holding our pancake breakfast since well before I was a student. We’ve been making candles as a fundraiser for close to 19 years.

“And just the number of female students we have in the club now is amazing,” she continued. “We used to finish the year almost begging underclassmen to take on officer roles, whereas now we have a slate of four or five nominations for each position, which is great to see.

“We’ve been sending over 30 girls to the conference every year, which is also amazing to see them interact with the industry and with our alumni at our Alumni Event. It’s just been amazing to watch it grow.

“And we’ve also been giving out a scholarship for over 20 years. So, these are very exciting times at UND for the Women in Aviation chapter.”

Women in Aviation today

Recently, UND Aerospace welcomed its largest class yet, with a record-breaking 25-plus percent of the class being women. That’s an especially impressive figure, considering the industry average of female pilots at 10.8%.

The UND chapter of Women in Aviation International has also grown significantly over the past five years, with approximately 150 members this year.

“When I joined WAI my freshman year, some of our biggest meetings had 20 girls, and we could fit comfortably into one of the small classrooms,” said Kaelyn Wiltse, vice president of the UND WAI chapter.

“Now, we’ve had to get creative and move our meeting locations outside of the aviation halls because of how big our group has grown!

“Walking into our first meeting this year and seeing more than 120 girls was almost emotional,” Wiltse continued. “It reminded me of why I joined the club in the first place: to be a part of something bigger than myself and a community of girls who support one another and want to help each other succeed.

“I’m so proud of what WAI has become, and I hope to see not only the numbers continue to grow, but also the success of those involved.”

The chapter has provided students with a space to grow and meet others, as well as opportunities and connections that have furthered their careers. Members of the organization have gone on to work in a variety of different roles in the aviation industry, with many becoming leaders of their fields.

“That is probably one of the neatest things to see as a faculty member, because lots of times we live vicariously through our students,” said Bjerke.

“You know, we hope that we set them up and we prepare them for that future career that they want to see in aviation, and as my role as faculty advisor with our Women in Aviation chapter, I’ve gotten to know those officers through the years, and oftentimes stay in touch with them. They’ll reach out for letters of recommendation, and I can say, even just thinking of past presidents, many have gone on to very successful careers at the airlines.

“We’ve had military pilots and F-35 pilots. Some have gone into aircraft sales, some are working within the FAA, some are going into academia as well,” Bjerke continued.

“So, it’s really just neat to see the impact that our graduates have had and will continue to have on the industry. It’s always great to reconnect with our past Women in Aviation chapter members when we go to the national conference every year and really see where they’ve gone with their careers.”

Back in September, Jill Newby addressed the chapter members directly in her alumni-award acceptance speech.

“And for all the young ladies out there, life is short,” Newby said. “You should do what you want the way you want to do it. Don’t let anyone tell you anything different, because that is really important.”

About the author:

A UND senior, Averie Eixenberger is a communications and writing intern for UND Aerospace.