Anh-Thu Nguyen, a pioneering aviator and founder of Asian Women in Aerospace & Aviation, was killed Wednesday when her small plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Indy South Greenwood Airport in Indiana. Just hours before the crash, Nguyen made a hopeful and heartfelt Facebook message from the cockpit. “I just completed the first leg of my solo flight around the world a few days ago from Oshkosh to Indiana. Born in Tuy-Hòa, Vietnam, Nguyen moved to the U.S. at age 12 and went on to build a remarkable career in aerospace. She earned degrees from Purdue University and Georgia Tech and later founded Asian Women in Aerospace & Aviation, a nonprofit dedicated to lifting up Asian women in fields where they’re historically underrepresented.