ELEVATE: Houston Aviation Project
ELEVATE: HOUSTON AVIATION PROJECT
United Airlines welcomes Houston high schoolers to its in-flight training center
ELEVATE is an initiative through which WIF is exploring avenues for introducing Black youth to aviation careers with the underlying intent to expose them to the possibilities for travel abroad.
Building on two years of successful operation of the program in Philadelphia, PA, WIF expanded ELEVATE to its hometown of Houston on June 10, 2026.
WIF’s founder and CEO, Dr. Monique Y. Wells, invited youth-serving community organizations from the Black Impact Houston alliance to participate in the inaugural event for ELEVATE Houston.
Two member organizations—Social Justice Learning Institute and Urban Enrichment Institute—accepted the invitation and recruited several young men to participate in the excursion.
Photos and videos on this Web page were supplied by Social Justice Learning Institute and Urban Enrichment Institute.
STUDENT RECRUITMENT
Social Justice Learning Institute took the lead in recruiting students and organizing the logistics of the excursion for its students and those from Urban Enrichment Institute.
WELCOME TO THE CENTER
WIF Board Member Anthony Fleet flew into Houston to welcome the group and participate in the event.
To begin the visit, he and several other United employees talked about their respective roles at the airline and prepared the students for boarding the aircraft cabin trainer in which flight attendant training takes place.
ON BOARD THE AIRCRAFT CABIN TRAINER
The students and chaperones then went aboard the aircraft cabin trainer and experienced training involving the safety measures that flight attendants must attend to during flight.
These included operating the doors of the aircraft and simulated water landing and evacuation.
Watch this brief video that captures the students’ experience as viewed by Urban Enrichment Institute.
WHY ELEVATE?
In the video below, WIF Board member Anthony Fleet talks about what ELEVATE seeks to accomplish for youth.
TESTIMONIALS
Students were extremely excited about what they learned during the excursion and expressed eagerness to repeat the experience.
Social Justice Learning Institute Academic Career Services Coordinator Keith “CJ” Cutler interviews Urban Scholar and Rising Senior Aaron Cantu about his experience at the training center.
Urban Enrichment Institute Program Manager Johnny McMahon interviews UEI’s Tyshon Manuel about his experience at the training center.
KEY RESULTS
We asked students to respond to a survey after completing the experience and
before leaving the in-flight training center.
From their responses, we learned that they gained
1) a stronger sense of what aviation work involves,
2) greater awareness of roles beyond piloting, and
3) openness to continued participation in
aviation-related learning opportunities.
Importantly, every participant said he would recommend the experience to other students.
News about the excursion traveled quickly.
Within a week’s time, two additional youth-oriented nonprofits in Houston contacted WIF
to express interest in having their students experience ELEVATE!