Loudoun County High School student and Front Royal student glider pilot to compete for Miss Virginia’s Outstanding Teen

Amelia “Mia” Anderson, age 16 and rising junior at Loudoun County High School will compete for Miss Virginia’s Outstanding Teen later this month. Anderson is the reigning Miss Skyline Drive’s Outstanding Teen.

Amelia “Mia” Anderson aspires to become a commercial pilot.

Anderson is the reigning Miss Skyline Drive’s Outstanding Teen

Anderson, an Honor Roll student, also serves as a cadet in the Loudoun County High School NJROTC. Her father has served as a pilot with Southwest Airlines for 22 years. Following in her father’s footsteps, Anderson aspires to become a commercial pilot. At just 16 years old, she is training with Skyline Soaring Club of Front Royal, VA, to obtain her private pilot’s license in Gliders. Her flight training has been funded through scholarships earned from Skyline Soaring Educational Foundation and Soaring Society of America. Amelia has successfully passed her FAA written exam, she has solo’ed in the glider, and is preparing for her final practical checkride to complete the process earning her private pilots license in Gliders.

Her platform for the pageant is “Soaring to Your Dreams: Inspiring and Mentoring Girls in Aviation.” Anderson shares that according to the FAA, in 2022 roughly 7% of pilots are women, and only 3.6% of airline captains are women.   Her mission is to inspire young girls to pursue whatever career dreams they may have and to feel empowered doing so in male-dominated fields, such as aviation. Anderson is active with the Old Dominion Ninety-Nines, Ninety-Nines International, Women in Aviation International and the Capital Region Chapter of Women in Aviation. These organizations of women pilots promote the advancement of aviation through education, scholarships, and mutual support while honoring the unique history of women in aviation. Amelia is also mentoring local Girl Scout Troops in earning their Aviation Badges.

The Miss Virginia and Miss America’s Outstanding Teen competitions are part of the Miss America Organization. The Miss America Organization is one of the nation’s leading providers of scholarships for young women. The pageant will be held June 23 – 25 at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, VA. Competition begins at 7:00 each evening and tickets are available online.