Vernice Armour: ‘It's Our Choice How We Show Up in the World”

Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour, America's first African-American female combat pilot, was among the heroes present at the Heroes and Fireflies author presentation at the National Press Club Tuesday night.  

A personal hero to many, Armour admitted that the featured authors -- and friends -- Misti Burmeister ("Hidden Heroes") and Mali Phonpadith ("A Million Fireflies") are among her personal "superwomen."

"It's about transformation," Armour said, after detailing how she came to chose her career upon meeting a woman of color in a similar field.  

"When you talk about a transformation, and the things that you go through to get to a certain place, it's our choice how we show up in the world, it's our choice how bright our light is going to shine, and it's our choice to step out and take a risk and be vulnerable and be authentically me."

Armour and other community heroes supported two nonprofits with their attendance, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurs (which provides programs to help young people from low-income communities stay in school and plan for successful futures) and the Lao Heritage Foundation (which aims to preserve a fading Lao artistic culture), which were selected based on the mission and vision of each of the authors' books. 

But who has a place in Armour's heart as her biggest hero? "My mom is my support network... my firefly.  She knows how to light me up."
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