Cleveland, Texas – After losing his dad to cancer a couple of months ago, Kevin Velasquez, who just finished his junior year at Cleveland High School and is heading into his senior year, found purpose and healing in the most unexpected of places: the body of an airplane.
Since his father’s passing, Velasquez has been the sole breadwinner for his family, stepping up to support his family while still going to school and building planes.
Velasquez spends his weekdays in class and his afternoons in a hangar, helping construct a real airplane from scratch as part of the school’s Tango Flight program. This initiative not only teaches students about aviation but also fosters teamwork and resilience. However, what Velasquez didn’t know until this week is that behind the scenes, his teachers were working on something special just for him.
Thursday, the Van’s RV-12iS that Velasquez and his classmates have spent two years building will take its first test flight at Cleveland Municipal Airport just 30 miles northeast of George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). As he stood beside the aircraft he helped bring to life, Velasquez received a surprise that left him speechless: a full scholarship to earn his private pilot license and more.
“Wow, I did not expect this,.. this means a lot.” Velasquez said trying to hold back tears. “My father passed away of cancer.... so it’s been hard on us.”
The gift came from a local pilot, Dustin Newell, moved by Velasquez‘s story but it was made possible by two of Velasquez aviation instructors who refused to let his dream stall out.
Cleveland High School’s aviation instructors, Jose Suarez and Brian Stafford expressed they had been spending their weekends selling food plates of burgers, brisket sandwiches, and hot dogs to quietly raise money for Velasquez’s future. With the help of mentors from the program, they rallied the community behind him, all without saying a word to the student they were doing it for.
Stafford told KPRC 2’s Zorrie Jones that mentors even donated the food, and whatever wasn’t sold was sent home to Kevin’s family to help them through the weekend.
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The gesture caught Velasquez completely off guard, but not those who know him best. Velasquez is in the top 10% of his class and a very self motivated kid as Stafford expressed. “He’s confided in me quite a bit about a lot of his personal (problems),” Stafford said. “And in return, I try to be the dad that he lost. So, whatever Kevin needs, I’m gonna take care of him.”
What began as a class project became a lifeline. For Velasquez, the airplane wasn’t just a school assignment, it was a way to keep moving forward through grief and uncertainty.
There were moments when it looked like he might have to walk away, but his teachers and community made sure he didn’t have to.
Newell met Velasquez in a local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) 1698. Inspired by his resilience and drive, the pilot stepped forward to offer an all expenses paid pilot scholarship through Texas Stick and Rudder to cover the cost of Kevin’s flight training and pilot physical.
“(Aviation in Cleveland is) such a small, tight-knit group, so anything we can do to help anybody out... we’re always there” Newell said. “When we see somebody that needs help, we’re there for you.”
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The Van’s RV-12iS plane passed the inspection and is set to fly with a cockpit just four feet wide but roomy enough to carry two grown adults. Now cleared for takeoff, it represents more than a milestone for the school; it’s a symbol of everything Velasquez‘s journey has come to mean.
The plane wasn’t the only thing that took flight. So did a young man’s dream, one he feared had slipped out of reach, lifted by his determination, the quiet strength of his teachers, and a community that refused to let him fall.
Sometimes, the things we build with our own hands don’t just fly, they lift us up in ways we never imagined.
