DAVIE — Since the day humans took to the skies in flying machines, young boys and girls have dreamed of becoming pilots. Posters of the coolest airplane hanging on the bedroom wall was a rite of passage for many children, and many flight-related video games are among the most popular.

As they grew older, some children saw these dreams fade due to a myriad of factors, including finances. Now, however, thanks to a new scholarship program at Nova Southeastern University, those dreams can be rekindled once again.

“This is an unbelievable opportunity for our students,” said Kimberly Durham, Psy.D., dean of NSU’s Institute for the Study of Human Services, Health and Justice. “NSU’s bachelor’s in human services administration, with an emphasis on human factors in aviation, is unique and thanks to our business partner, we can help ensure students who want an education can get one – it’s tremendous.”

The partner Durham referred to is American Flyers, where NSU students get cockpit time as they learn how to fly. Through this one-of-a-kind program, American Flyers is providing 12 scholarships every 18 months at $73,000 per student — that’s nearly a $1 million every year and a half, which will be administered by NSU.

The scholarship program will begin for students during the Fall 2015 semester.

“We are very excited about our relationship with NSU,” said Andrew Henley, Executive Board Member of American Flyers. “While only in place for a few years, it has been very popular and transformative for our organization.”

In order to qualify for the new scholarships, participants must be a fully admitted NSU undergraduate student, successfully complete a 16-week practicum at American Flyers, maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA and provide a 1,000 word essay on why they’re interested in the aviation program and why they should be granted a scholarship.

In addition to this new scholarship, NSU aviation students have the opportunity to participate in paid internships, which provide them with real-world learning experiences in the field and the ability to continue to accrue needed flight hours.

Those students interested in the program should contact Kimberly Durham, Psy.D. at 954-262-8601 or via e-mail (durham@nova.edu.) More information about NSU’s aviation program can be found online (www.nova.edu/aviation).