FlyGirl says: ‘Acknowledge obstacles. Don’t give them power.’

Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour

Dressed in a combat pilot uniform and a Tuskegee Airman bomber jacket, former police officer and Marine Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour, now a motivational speaker, gave the FIU community “permission to engage” their goals and “clear hot.”

Armour spoke Tuesday, during FIU’s Diversity Week, to a group of staff and students—including students from Booker T. Washington High School and Florida Memorial University—about breaking through racial and gender barriers to become the first African-American female combat pilot in the United States Armed Forces in 2001.

She pointed out that although she has faced obstacles throughout her career, both in police academy and later the Marines, she tried not to let it affect her training—even on days when the stress had her in tears.

“Flight school’s tough. Police academy was tough. But everybody has obstacles. Even the average white guy has obstacles,” Armour said. “But the key is to acknowledge the obstacles. Don’t give them power.”

Recalling a bit of wisdom handed down during her childhood, Armour said: “It didn’t matter what it was—it could’ve been catastrophic—but what did Great-Grandmother say? ‘Something good’s gonna come out of this.’”

Friction and tension are normal when people face differing cultures and viewpoints, she said.

“If it happens with the people you love, it’s going to happen with the people you don’t.”

Armour pointed out that in combat, preoccupying her mind by “sweating the small stuff” could have left her unfocused, which would’ve put lives at stake. And this, she said, is a good metaphor for everyday life.

“What are you putting at stake?” she asked the audience.

Armour’s combat-themed speech taught the audience a lesson befitting her career flying an attack helicopter.

“You’re trying to get people to engage with you so you can ‘clear hot,’” she said, referring to a military term for hitting a target. “You have permission to engage, but it’s up to you whether you engage or not.”

Armour’s speech marked the keynote event of FIU Diversity Week 2016, which celebrates FIU’s diverse, international population.

Festivities kicked off with a parade of flags April 1 and include events through Friday, April 8, at the Modesto Maidique and Biscayne Bay campuses, as well as FIU at I-75 in Miramar.

“We know that diversity is important not just as a moral imperative, but because the world of work that we’re in today is a world of work that is characterized by diversity, by people who have different approaches, different styles, different ways of seeing the world,” said President Mark B. Rosenberg.

Diversity Week continues through April 8, with a variety of cultural events, including food tastings, expert panel discussions and more, ending Friday with the 4^th Annual Miami Slut Walk from 3:00-7:00 p.m. on the GC lawns. For a full list of events, click here.