Skip to main content

SLCC Celebrates Black History Month: Jeanine McIntosh-Menze and La’Shanda Holmes


Jeanine McIntosh-Menze and La’Shanda Holmes




Jeanine McIntosh-Menze is the first African-American female aviator in the United States Coast Guard history.

Born in Jamaica in 1979, McIntosh-Menze attended Vaz Preparatory School in Kingston before relocating with her family to Canada and subsequently to Florida. She attended high school at Miami Killian High School and graduated from Florida International University with a degree in International Business.

MacIntosh-Menze joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 2003 after graduation from the Coast Guard Officer Candidate School. She began Coast Guard aviation training at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas in January 2005. She earned her aviator wings on June 24, 2005 and was assigned to fly HC-130 Hercules aircraft out of Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii.

Among her assignments has been flying rescue missions for the USCG in New Orleans, Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina.

She also serves as a mentor and friend to another pioneering member of the USCG. On April 9, 2010, Menze pinned  a set of aviator wings on La’Shanda Holmes, in the process making Holmes the first female African-American helicopter pilot in U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) history. Holmes called the pinning ceremony, "a really emotional experience" for both herself and Menze. "Both of our eyes were watering and she asked me ‘Are you ready for this?’ I can’t think of a more awesome moment in my life.”

Prior to joining the coast guard, Holmes graduated magna cum laude from high school before earning a degree from Spelman College.

Following her graduation from Spelman, Holmes applied for and was accepted into the College Student Pre-commissioning Initiative. She served on a Coast Guard cutter before enrolling in Officer Candidate School.

Holmes completed the nearly two-year training required to become a USCG helicopter pilot at Naval Air Station Whiting Field’s Helicopter Training Squadron 18. 

Holmes is currently a Lieutenant (junior grade) serving her first tour as a search and rescue pilot based out of Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SLCC Automotive Repairs

Click to enlarge. Attention: SLCC Students, staff and faculty! Many SLCC automotive programs need vehicles to work on in these areas: 30 point inspections Oil changes Tire rotation Engine repair Brake systems repair Automatic and transmission repairs Air conditioning repair Electrical troubleshooting & repair Suspension & steering system repair Auto-body repair and painting (on a very limited basis) Please be advised that any repairs are done at the discretion of the instructors due to the subject areas they are teaching.  Because we are using your vehicles for training purposes, we offer members of the College discounts on parts and labor. Parts are at our cost plus 15% and the service fee is $20 per hour based on industry time standards (if the industry assigns an hour for a repair, that's all you're charged for, regardless of how much time it takes the student). We can also offer these services to non-college personnel on a limited basis with...
165 comments
Read more

Bruin Bash 2014

Free! Friday, May 2 5:00 p.m. Salt Lake Community College Student Center (4600 South Redwood Road) Featuring: Children’s Carnival Circus Act Dance Fireworks Caricature Artist Popcorn Photo Booth Henna Tattoos Comedian Casino Games Oxygen Bar Airbrush Tattoos Mocktails Face Painter Magician Cotton Candy Balloon Artists Brought to you by SLCC Student Association www.slcc.edu/sll Individuals who require accommodations for this event should contact Joan Christiansen a, STC 124 or (801) 957-4439
210 comments
Read more

Volleyball Team Also Excels in the Classroom

The Salt Lake Community College volleyball program is one of the nation's top junior college programs on the court but the Bruins are also one of the leaders in the classroom. The program released its academic accomplishments from the 2018-19 academic year over the Memorial Day weekend, celebrating several individual and team accomplishments. SLCC's awards represent another year where the Bruins have been recognized for the success of their student-athletes.  Salt Lake coach   Sue Dulaney   said the team focuses on academics in almost all of their team activities. "We are very proud of the accomplishments that our team has achieved academically," she said. "These hard-working, competitive and dedicated individuals know the classroom is extremely important and that those habits carry over onto the volleyball court.  This is the best spring we have had in two years regarding our returning class. I cannot wait to see what accomplishments they will achieve o...
Read more