Linda Montilla-Celis

Linda Montilla-Celis is a young woman passionate about innovation, leadership, and excellence who, while studying on a master's program in engineering, leads a social organization with impact in Venezuela that provides free educational programs that empower young people and adults, giving them the tools and knowledge necessary to develop their ideas and lead change in their communities.

Through social and volunteer work, Linda has used her knowledge and experience gained throughout her extensive academic career to create programs and projects that have had a real impact on communities in Venezuela.

When Linda was a child, she had the opportunity to attend a technology exhibition of transportation vehicles, where she was able to see land and air vehicles of all kinds. She remembers being amazed by how large and impressive the airplanes were, but also impressed by how complex the controls looked, which led her to immediately admire the pilots for their exceptional skills in flying an airplane and the courage to do so while carrying several people as passengers and being responsible for their lives and safety. From that moment, Linda became interested in the world of aviation and aerospace, which has led her to participate in and successfully complete a rigorous analog astronaut training at Purdue University and to be currently in training to become a private pilot.

Given Linda's vocation for teaching and her interest in educational innovation, she would like to work and collaborate in the design of academic programs in Latin America related to aviation and space engineering that can help other aspiring aviators to also fly for their dreams.