CREDIT: PROVIDED BY FANSHAWE COLLEGE
The maintenance hangar at Fanshawe's Norton Wolf School of Aviation.

Fanshawe avionics student Min Gu Kang was recently selected as the first-ever winner of the WinAir Impact Award. The award provides a student in the Aircraft Maintenance or Avionics program at Fanshawe College’s Norton Wolf School of Aviation Technology with a $1,500 scholarship towards their final year of studies.

Kang was selected for his leadership, teamwork and dedication to his studies. He had to achieve high marks to be selected, and prepare an essay outlining how his career will impact the aviation industry. The parameters for the award were laid out by WinAir, and Kang was selected by a team at Fanshawe College. He received his award during a virtual awards ceremony on Nov. 9.

Operations Manager for WinAir, Kendra Warren, said Kang receiving the award is very promising for London’s growing aviation sector.


“We are a local company, but our customers are international, so it can be hard for us to recruit people with somewhat of an aviation background,” she said. “So [we’re] supporting the diversity of the industry.”

WinAir established the Impact Award in partnership with Fanshawe College in early 2020. Fanshawe’s world class aviation school made a perfect fit for the aviation software company. Warren said WinAir already employs some Fanshawe grads, so the partnership just made sense.

“We have hired [Aircraft Maintenance Engineer] grads before, so it’s kind of our way of giving back to the school,” she said.

Warren added that offering the scholarship to aviation students also helps support the industry overall.

“I think it helps provide recognition that it is a valuable career option to get into aviation,” she said.

WinAir is mainly focused on their world-renowned software program, but Warren said students who are pursuing engineering are still a valuable asset to the company.

“Even if they don’t go into working at an aviation [maintenance repair and overhaul] company, doing the actual maintenance on the aircraft, our company still benefits from hiring people that may have changed their mind.”

For students like Kang, Warren said she knows the support goes a long way.

“Any kind of financial support is significant,” she said. “And knowing that there is an aviation company locally, supporting people in this program, I think is encouraging.”

Supporting the local industry is a top priority for WinAir. Warren said that a previous Fanshawe grad employed at WinAir appreciates the fact that they have a career in aviation in London, without needing to travel into Toronto.

“[He] didn’t really see himself having to travel and find a job in Toronto to go work on aircrafts,” she said.

2020 was the inaugural year for the WinAir Impact Award. WinAir said they will continue to offer the scholarship for the next five years until 2025.