MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - Two South Florida sisters are celebrating a prestigious honor after they received scholarships from American Airlines.
Jazlyn and Jailene Jimenez are soaring to new heights after a lifetime of having each other’s back. The students at the University of Central Florida are receiving a piece of more than $1.2 million in scholarship money from the American Airlines Education Foundation.
“The scholarship is helping me out because it allowed me the opportunity to go to Iowa — I’m in Iowa right now — to do an internship,” said Jazlyn.
“I use the scholarship mostly in my monthly budget, and I just add it in there so that I can use it for things like gas and food,” said Jailene. “I’m really excited to be able to get the scholarship again, so I can focus more on school.”
The first-generation college students being recognized for their hard work are not the only ones in their family who are excelling. Their father, Sidney Jimenez, works for American Airlines as a fleet service crew chief at Miami International Airport.
The siblings said the scholarship money will give them a bit of breathing room. As college roommates, they have a built-in support system.
“Being in Orlando together with my sister is fantastic because we live together,” said Jazlyn. “I think there was one year in our entire life that we didn’t live together, and that was when I started college, and she was still in high school.”
“The finals weeks that I’ve had while she’s been in Iowa have been so dull, so boring, so it’s nice having that person next to you all of the time,” said Jailene.
The awards are available to dependents of airline employees.
With one sister studying health care and the other studying industrial engineering and design, their father’s joy over the scholarships could grow even more if another Jimenez family member’s career takes off with American Airlines as well.
“I think that’s one of his biggest fears, was not being able to send us to college, and now the company he works for is helping us out, so he’s really excited,” said Jailene.
“This just helps with linking back to American Airlines. I’ll probably stick close by, whether it’s manufacturing or something else,” said Jazlyn.
The scholarships are $2,500 each with an extra $1,000 for first-generation college students. Twenty-six students shared in $70,000 in scholarship money awarded at MIA.
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