Melissa (M’Lis) Ward has traveled millions of miles
to get to her destination. As the first female African-American captain
for a commercial airline, Captain Ward has been traveling down the path
she saw her mother blaze as one of the first African-American women
to graduate from the University of Chicago Medical School.
After graduating from high school in Chicago, Illinois,
Captain Ward attended the University of Southern California (USC) on
scholarships. While at USC, she was a member of the two-time national
champion women’s basketball team and graduated in 1986 with a bachelor
of science in business administration and a regular commission in the
United States Air Force.
Captain Ward arrived at a Texas Air Force base as the
first female African-American student in pilot training at that base. After
graduation, she reached another milestone as the first African-American female
to receive a fighter pilot rating. Her first assignment was as a flight instructor,
where after graduating, she achieved distinction as the Air Force’s first African-American
female instructor pilot.
"The only person
holding you back is you.
Do whatever you want in life,
but do it well."
She instructed from 1988 until 1991, when she received a
new assignment to fly in aircraft commander and co-pilot positions. After six
years and having achieved the rank of captain, Captain Ward transferred to the
Tennessee Air National Guard, where she continued to fly. It was at this time
that she was hired as a flight officer by United Airlines.
After serving for two years in the Air National Guard, Captain
Ward decided to become an interactive reserve of the armed forces and concentrate
solely on commercial aviation. Captain Ward’s career in commercial aviation
began in 1992, when she was assigned as a second officer. She was soon promoted
to first officer.
In 1998, Captain Ward made history by becoming the first
female African-American captain for a commercial airline. The Denver, Colorado,
resident is one of only eight African-American female pilots at United Airlines
and one of only 12 nationwide.
To those young people who desire to soar with the eagles,
Captain Ward offers these words: “Don’t accept ‘no’ for an answer. The only
person holding you back is you. Do whatever you want in life, but do it well.”
