Dionna Cameron and the Joy of Taking Flight
The instructor climbed out of the airplane and closed the door behind him.
For weeks, he had occupied the seat beside nineteen-year-old Dionna Cameron, guiding her through takeoffs and landings at Jenks Airport. Together they had practiced the same maneuvers until they felt familiar, almost routine.
On this particular Sunday morning, however, he looked at her and said something she had been working toward for months.
"You're ready."
Then he stepped away.
The tower had already been notified she would be flying solo. Dionna sat in the cockpit of a small white-and-yellow Cessna 152 and looked down the runway stretching out before her. The airplane suddenly felt different without an instructor sitting beside her. Every decision belonged to her now.
She pushed the throttle forward and felt the airplane begin to accelerate.
The tower operators knew this was her first solo flight and offered words of encouragement as she completed a series of takeoffs and landings on her own. Years later, she still remembers the bright morning sky, the excitement of being alone in the airplane, and the realization that she could trust herself to do what she had spent months learning.
Dionna originally thought her future might involve a space suit. After watching Space Camp, she became fascinated with astronauts and everything that flew. She worked and saved money to attend the camp herself and imagined what it might be like to one day leave the earth behind.
That dream eventually took a different shape. Dionna never became an astronaut, but she never lost her desire to fly. Her search for lift simply found a different path. After high school, she enrolled at Oklahoma State University and pursued a degree in Aviation Sciences, earning her pilot's license between her freshman and sophomore years.
She flew nearly every day that summer and sometimes twice a day. Flying demanded preparation and discipline, but it also offered something she loved: freedom.
"There’s an incredible feeling when the flight check is complete, the tower clears you for takeoff, and the airplane begins to move," she said. "You add power, pick up speed, and then the airplane does what it was designed to do."
The years may have passed, but the excitement remains. You can still hear it when she talks about flying.
In fact, Dionna has always enjoyed experiences that ask a little more of a person. Roller coasters never bothered her. Neither did bungee jumping. When her father finally decided it was time to go skydiving, she didn't need much convincing.
For years he had talked about making the jump, but her mother wanted no part of the idea. After her mother passed away, he called Dionna and asked a simple question.
"What are you doing tomorrow?"
Before the conversation ended, they had plans to jump from an airplane together.
The story still makes her laugh because it captures something essential about the people who raised her: curiosity, optimism, and a willingness to try something simply because it might be memorable.
Dionna grew up surrounded by people who encouraged her to try things, work hard, and finish what she started. Her parents and grandparents provided a strong foundation of support while also giving her the freedom to discover what she was capable of. Looking back, she credits much of her confidence to that encouragement.
The willingness to try new things followed her into every chapter of her life. After beginning her career in aviation, she eventually moved into leadership roles within the sewing industry, supporting stores and managers across multiple states. She helped organize large educational events, worked alongside talented teams, and spent years helping others learn and grow.
When she talks about those years, she rarely focuses on sales goals or business accomplishments. Instead, she talks about people. Former colleagues still reach out to tell her how much a conversation, a lesson, or a word of encouragement meant to them. Many of those interactions seemed ordinary to her at the time, but they stayed with the people who received them.
Helping others recognize their potential became one of the most rewarding parts of her work, and that same perspective followed her into her role as Executive Director of Young Scholars of Bartlesville.
While scholarships opened doors for students, Dionna was equally excited about the mentorships and training in financial literacy, leadership development, and life skills that accompanied those opportunities. She enjoyed helping students and families see possibilities that extended far beyond the classroom.
The common thread throughout her career was never a particular industry or title. It was people. Dionna genuinely enjoys helping others move forward, especially when they begin to see possibilities they hadn't considered before.
Today, Dionna finds herself navigating a chapter she never expected to reach quite this way. Health concerns have changed the timing of her retirement and reshaped some of the plans she once imagined for herself. Yet if there is disappointment, it is overshadowed by gratitude. Dionna has never spent much time dwelling on what might have been. Instead, she talks about what remains: faith, family, friendships, and the gift of time she once had very little of.
She talks about being more intentional with her time now. She appreciates afternoons spent with her children and grandchildren. She enjoys conversations that are not rushed. She notices moments that might once have been squeezed between meetings, travel schedules, and responsibilities.
Throughout our conversation, Dionna returned repeatedly to her faith in Jesus. She spoke about it naturally, not as a separate part of her life but as the foundation beneath it.
"I can't imagine doing life without my faith in Jesus," she said.
"God used me to be an encouragement to others."
That faith has sustained her through uncertainty and helped her remain hopeful when circumstances were beyond her control. It has also shaped the way she views encouragement.
Throughout her life, Dionna has received encouragement from many directions: from parents and grandparents who believed in her, from a control tower guiding a nineteen-year-old pilot through her first solo flight, and from friends who have stood beside her through difficult seasons.
Today, she finds herself on the receiving end of many of those same gifts.
In recent months, former coworkers, friends, and colleagues have reached out to share stories with her. They tell her about conversations she barely remembers, moments when a simple word gave them confidence, or times when her encouragement helped them continue moving forward.
The stories mean a great deal to her because they remind her that even small acts of kindness can have lasting impact.
"God used me to be an encouragement to others," she said.
That desire to encourage and preserve what matters also led to one of her most personal projects. In 2025, she published Fishin' & Lemonade, a book inspired by stories about her beloved PaPa.
As the oldest grandchild, she enjoyed years of memories that her younger cousins never had the chance to experience. She wanted her cousins and future generations to know the man she remembered: the stories, the laughter, the lessons, and the way he made people feel.
The book had been jotted down informally years earlier, but finding the right illustrator delayed final publication. When she finally found the right illustrator, she knew it was time. The project became more than a book. It became a gift to her family and a reminder that some stories are worth saving.
"The encouragement we give away has a way of finding its way back."
When asked what she hopes people remember about her, Dionna doesn't mention professional accomplishments or adventures. She hopes they remember encouragement. She hopes they remember someone who believed in them, supported them, and helped them see possibilities they might not have seen on their own.
If she could leave one piece of advice for women who are hesitant to try something new, her answer comes quickly.
"Don't think about something not working," she said. "What if it does work?"
The answer sounds simple, but it reflects the way she has approached much of her life. Whether sitting alone in the cockpit of a Cessna for the first time, stepping out of an airplane with a parachute, encouraging a struggling colleague, or preserving stories for the next generation, Dionna has rarely allowed uncertainty to make the decision for her.
Curiosity has served her well. So has faith. Together, they have carried her toward experiences she never could have planned and memories she would not trade.
Throughout her life, Dionna received encouragement from parents, grandparents, teachers, friends, colleagues, and even a control tower guiding a nineteen-year-old pilot through her first solo flight.
Today, she understands something that nineteen-year-old Dionna could not have known as she sat alone in that cockpit. The encouragement we give away has a way of finding its way back. And that may be one of life's greatest adventures.
About Dionna Cameron
Dionna Cameron is a licensed pilot, author, and retired community leader who believes in the power of encouragement, curiosity, and lifelong learning. She enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and preserving stories that connect generations. She lives in Oklahoma, where she continues to invest in faith, friendships, and the people she loves.
Dionna is also the author of Fishin' & Lemonade, an illustrated children's book inspired by family traditions and the simple joys of spending time together.
About the Writer
Angie Thompson is a fundraising strategist and storyteller who helps nonprofits, organizations, and purpose-driven leaders communicate with intention and heart. Through Angie Thompson Consulting LLC and her Pivot Pulse storytelling framework, she helps people doing meaningful work share their stories in ways that build connection, trust, and engagement.
She is the creator of the Women Who Say Yes to the Spark series, which celebrates women whose creativity, leadership, courage, and everyday decisions have influenced their communities and the people around them.
Disclaimer & Copyright
This story is based on a personal interview and reflections shared by Dionna Cameron and is published with permission. The views, experiences, and memories expressed are her own. This feature is part of the Women Who Say Yes to the Spark series, created to celebrate women whose leadership, creativity, courage, and influence have shaped the lives of others.
© 2026 Angie Thompson Consulting LLC. All rights reserved. To republish, reproduce, or excerpt this story, please contact Angie@AngieThompsonConsulting.com for permission.