Women in Aviation: Jehna Handeland

In my senior year of high school, I decided to go all-in on aviation.

While many of my classmates were still trying to figure out their next step, I already knew one thing: I didn’t want a life that stayed in one place. I wanted movement. I wanted challenge. I wanted to wake up in one city and end the day somewhere entirely different.

Travel had always fascinated me, but aviation offered more than just a ticket to new destinations. It offered growth, culture, and connection. A career that would constantly push me to become better than I was the day before.

In many ways, aviation was already part of my story. My dad attended Acron Aviation Academy years ago, where he met my mom through the school’s housing department. A few years later, they even got engaged in one of the campus classrooms. So, when it came time to choose a path, Acron Aviation Academy didn’t feel like a question. It felt like coming home.

I arrived as a nervous private pilot student, intimidated by the responsibility that comes with the left seat. Since then, I’ve earned my ratings, started working toward my commercial license, and begun transitioning into CFI training. Each stage has stretched me beyond my comfort zone. Each challenge has revealed a little more of what I’m capable of.

My long-term goal is to build experience and one day fly for JetBlue Airways. I picture stepping into new cities, meeting new crews, and watching sunrises break above the clouds. Moments that once felt distant now feel within reach.

This journey has never been just about hours logged or certificates earned. It’s been about discovering who I am and the life I want to build. Being a woman in aviation has taught me resilience. It has taught me how to push through self-doubt, how to stand firm when things feel impossible, and how to keep climbing anyway.

To every young girl looking up at an airplane and wondering if there’s a place for her in this industry, there is. There will be hard days. There will be moments that test you. But if you love it, don’t let anyone convince you it isn’t yours. You belong here.