Soaring Above Challenges [Pathways

Abstract

Flying a fighter jet has always had its own charm and allure for people of all ages, which many would attribute to Hollywood movies and their protagonists. One of these characters is the United States Navy Aviator Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the 1986 blockbuster <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Top Gun</i> . Maverick’s character, played by Tom Cruise, was an inspiration to many teenagers who fantasized about becoming fighter pilots. Sidra Malik, although not born when <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Top Gun</i> was first released, was one of those teenagers who was motivated by Maverick and aspired to become a fighter pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force. At age 13, she joined Air Cadets in her hometown of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Malik spent the following five-and-a-half years with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, flying gliders, doing drills, and playing the trumpet with the marching band. She practiced with her band year round for three-and-a-half hours on Sundays as well as after school during weekdays. “We played at four or five different parades annually, including the Santa Claus parade, and competed in different events at the provincial as well as the national level,” she said. Malik recalled that out of the different pieces that she played with her band, she enjoyed playing the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Top Gun</i> theme song. In addition to getting her gliders license, she also served as an ambassador for Canada in Australia as a part of the International Air Cadet Exchange program. As the old adage goes, “all good things must come to an end.” So, she retired from the Air Cadets and decided to join a civilian engineering school, instead of studying at the Royal Military College. However, hoping to become a fighter pilot and challenging the status quo are not the only things that Malik has in common with <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Top Gun</i> ’s Maverick. Throughout her career, she has continued to be a maverick who challenges engineering stereotypes, strives to be a catalyst for change, and aspires to be a role model for women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.