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STEM Fly-In 2024

November 9, 2024

A day of Exposure, Excitement, and Excellence with the welcoming of Captain Alex Hampton and Lt. Commander Donovan Boone to Raleigh Durham Airport UPS hub. The event was sponsored by Global Health Connections International and its partners, United Parcel Service and Jr. Achievement of Eastern North Carolina. Sponsors for the event were Krispy Kreme Durham, Jimmy John’s Page Road, Durham, and Pepsi Bottling Ventures, Raleigh, NC.


Over 340 people attended the event and marveled at the experiences of Captain Hampton and Lt. Commander Boone. It is critical that you get exposure to opportunities early in life. Captain Hampton continued, “When I was your age, I told my mom I wanted to be a pilot. She quickly said, ‘you need to consider something else.’  It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in me, she had no idea of a

process for me to become a pilot. Anything you would like to do, prepare yourself with education. That will open many doors for you.”


Lt. Commander Boone focused on the need to listen and to be open to trying something new. “I am from New York, what I saw of airplanes were landings and take-offs from John F. Kennedy. Off I went to Morehouse College, in a ROTC program, and the rest is history for me. I majored in Economics and my life in the Navy flying F/A 18 Super Hornets has allowed me to see the world."


The STEM Fly-In was sponsored by Global Health Connections International, a 501c3 non-profit in Raleigh, North Carolina now in its 13th year. “Our focus at GHCI is simple. Expose middle school students to STEM possibilities so they can dream. Then create experiential learning activities for them to meet professionals and learn by doing. You do what you know and the exposure broadens the scope of possibilities," said Founder and CEO E. Rick Copeland.


In 2020, our first Fly-In with Commander Hampton and Lt. Commander Michael Hanner, 10th grader Marcos Guzman, followed up and followed through after meeting the pilots. Today, Midshipman 2nd Class Marcos Guzman is attending the US Naval Academy. US Navy Commander Matt Keidel, Navy Recruiting Command, supported the event, as did UPS employees, RDU Fire and Rescue, TSA, and RDU K-9 support.

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Global Health Connections International

P.O. Box 80234

Raleigh, NC 27623

Mobile: 919-931-6019

HQ: 984-221-1298

FAX: 919-882-1160

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