The woman behind World Flight 2000

by Joshua Bohanan '01

Powers

orld Flight 2000 left Rochester September 13 with the goal of flying around the world to motivate students of all ages and cultures. During their journey, which they expect to complete on December 15, the flyers will be linking with an estimated 23 million students and teachers through their Web site at www.worldflight2000.com. But while pilots Dan Dominguez '00 and his friend Chris Wall, who are attempting to set a record as the youngest crew to circle the globe, are getting the media attention for their flight, someone equally important is taking care of business on the ground.

Knowing that you are the hub of a major international project can be a bit overwhelming. But this hasn't slowed down Jennifer Powers '00, who has become the one-woman ground crew coordinating the ever-changing demands of World Flight 2000 as it circles the globe.

Powers joined the World Flight 2000 team last February as its international director, with the primary charge of handling flight planning. But as her duties rapidly expanded, she assumed the title of operational director.

In this role she no longer simply handles the flight planning, but also manages the Web site and, with some help from The Skyplan Group of Canada, deals with such matters as customs, landing permits, and over-flight clearances. She also works on marketing and sponsorship and is planning post-flight projects. Two student interns, Elizabeth Begy '01 and Awista Ayub '01, help her around the office while receiving academic credit for the semester.

Powers also has the added task of ensuring that the flight crew has hosts and a place to stay in each city where they land.

"We deal primarily with Rotary chapters for hosting," she says. "I must make sure that everything is going according to plan, that nothing gets delayed, and that the hosts know of every move that happens with the crew in order for the hosts to come and meet the guys."

Although Powers's days are officially scheduled from 8 to 5, she is on call 24 hours a day and finds herself working in the office until all hours of the night. To stay in touch with her, the flight crew uses an Inmarsat M/4 satellite phone, a new technology that allows the crew to communicate through voice and e-mail from anywhere on the globe.

E-mail comes into the office every day from all corners of the world. Powers either responds directly or forwards the messages to the flight crew so that they may reply personally. E-mail typically comes from teachers and students, usually with encouragement about the flight or questions about the curriculum.

After the flight's final landing in Rochester on December 15, Powers will head home to spend Christmas with her family, although all post-flight work will not conclude until approximately eight months later. For Powers, this will involve working with America Online and other national and local sponsors to schedule the crew for seminars and motivational talks to students and teachers around the country.

Powers, who has both a political science and a Spanish degree, is looking at pursuing a master's program in journalism and English afterwards. In addition, she would like to continue working with the Global Advancement Foundation, a nonprofit organization created to support World Flight 2000 and other educational projects.

"One of the things that I've learned about myself," Powers says, "is that if you're given the opportunity to show that you can do something, you'll do it. Especially if you're doing it for something that you love--and I love World Flight 2000."

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