26-Year-Old U.S. Air Force Pilot and St. Croix Native Guides Hundreds of Students Through Educational Aircraft Tour

It all began with a Facebook post: "If you're an educator in St. Croix and you believe your students would be inspired by visiting me and exploring my jet, the KC-135, come to Henry E. Rohlsen Airport this Thursday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Reach out for more details!

With those words, U.S. Air Force Pilot Orchydia Sackey ignited a spark of possibility for hundreds of young lives.

In a pioneering journey of empowerment, 26-year-old Capt. Orchydia Sackey, a native of St. Croix and an alumna of the 2014 St. Croix Complex High School, orchestrated an awe-inspiring event alongside fellow islander Kishima Garcia, a strategic human capital executive and U.S. Air Force veteran. Their mission? To offer the youth of St. Croix a day they would never forget.

A wave of students from both private and public schools descended upon Henry E. Rohlsen Airport for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Filling their minds and hearts were the intricate details of the KC-135 Stratotanker and a wealth of information about the U.S. Air Force. The impressionable young attendees were visibly captivated by the machinery and the prospect of infinite possibilities. Capt. Sackey and Garcia had successfully laid the foundation for dreams that could stand the test of time.