Pathfinder

We are delighted you are interested in attending the Annual Pathfinder Gala at the Museum of Flight. Every year, the Museum generously sponsors RAHS 10-12 graders attend this event. If you are selected to attend, you will be representing our school, and you are expected to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, from your dress to your conduct.

What is the Pathfinder Award?

The Museum of Flight’s Annual Pathfinder Awards honors individuals with ties to the Pacific Northwest who have made significant contributions to the development of the aerospace industry. Categories include Flying, Education, Operations, Engineering, Manufacturing and At-Large. Pathfinder Award recipients are selected by The Museum of Flight, the Pacific Northwest Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and representatives of other aviation and aerospace organizations and companies throughout the Northwest. Previous recipients include: Jeff Bezos, Michael P. Anderson, William E. Boeing, Jr., Bonnie J. Dunbar, Peter Mortnon, Clay Lacy, James D. Raisbeck, Charles Simonyi, and Aviation High School Founding Principal and CEO Reba Gilman.

History of Raisbeck Aviation High School Attendance at Pathfinder

Since opening our school in the fall of 2004, our students and staff have attended this annual fall gala, thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Museum of Flight. If you were purchasing a ticket to this event, it would cost $200. Consider that about 50 students and chaperones will be sponsored each year, and if you do the math, that’s a collective gift from sponsors of $10,000!

How will attending Pathfinder benefit you?

This event provides an opportunity for you to meet successful leaders in aviation and aerospace who may someday offer you an internship or a job, serve as a mentor, or be someone you can call upon when conducting research for a class assignment or project. At this event, you will meet several people and interact with them. We call this “networking”, and it is a skill that our graduates tell us that they learned well at RAHS; and most importantly, they count it as one of the most important skills in preparing them for life after high school. Most effective leaders are also highly effective networkers!

Pathfinder recipients are people who have aspired to make a difference. They are people who dreamed big and set goals for their life’s work. They are individuals who will inspire you to stick to your own goals and dreams and realize that you, too, can be a Pathfinder.