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Dependent Scholarship Recipient: Kelly Pum

Dependent Scholarship Recipient: Kelly Pum

April 15, 2026

If Kelly Pum had to pick a quote to live by, it would be, “Get busy living or get busy dying,” from the critically acclaimed movie The Shawshank Redemption (1994). For a movie buff, films are an art. They can be appreciated for a gripping plot, well-designed characters with quotable dialogue, beautiful sets, heart-pounding action choreography … Kelly can appreciate movies for all of that, plus something priceless: time spent with her father, MDW Captain Aaron Pum.

 

From an aerial view, Kelly’s life is busy. School semesters are filled with university lectures and labs, sprinkled with volunteer hours throughout, while summers are spent working as an emergency medical technician to help save lives. Still, she has time for friends and family, fitness, and to meet the demands of sleep. She’s successfully balanced the chaos of early adult life and is set to graduate next month with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. 

 

While her tenacity made it all possible, she also shines the spotlight on the people around her. “Figure out your support system,” she says. “I have friends who say, ‘That was a good grade on that test, let’s go get ice cream.’ I called my brothers at 7 a.m. yesterday freaking out about a research presentation, and they said, ‘You’ve got this.’ Having those people, the ones who hype you up, is really needed.” 

 

The impact of being there — for your friends and family, your community, and yourself — cannot be overstated. The little moments add up. Kelly recalls the quarantine period in early 2020, when she, her two brothers, and their parents were all under the same roof again. They’d wake up and run with high knees through the house, go kayaking, and order fast food once a week. 

 

The impact of being there, for your friends and family, your community, and yourself, cannot be overstated — a lesson she learned from her dad. The little moments add up. 

 

Kelly and her mother in particular liked to walk together, though it was never just them for long. Aaron loved to be out in the world, and riding a bike shares two similarities with flying a plane: you can chase the horizon and meet up with family while you do it. Kelly recalls that he would randomly show up when she and her mother were on one of their walks, balancing his bike with one hand and a twist ice cream cone in the other. “Every time, he would say, ‘What’s up, ladies!’ Every time. He was consistently there.”

 

Kelly has plenty of memories of her father being there. She acknowledges that not a lot of people have that, but she did. If Kelly needed anything, he would drop what he was doing and help her. And Kelly was there for him too. After treatments, she and her father would go to the movies, accruing a list of 10 films in one summer alone.

 

“Chemo would get rough. And he would still say, ‘We’re going to the movies.’ Despite everything, he would still go and have fun.” Mission Impossible and F1 were two Aaron was particularly excited to see. (Kelly reports they were fantastic.)

 

“He was a big movie buff like me. It was nice to have those special moments, just the two of us.”

 

CA Aaron Pum passed away in September 2025, but these snippets are only small glimpses into the person behind the Pilot, and only brief summaries of how the family is carrying his legacy forward into their personal lives.

 

For Kelly, getting busy living means adding miles to her personal record, spending time with friends and family, attending football games and traveling, and selflessly dedicating herself to her community and its health … while catching the latest films along the way, of course.

 

“My dad was stability. A lot of craziness would happen, and he was always the one to unite us all and remind us we’re going to be okay. So, having him, he’s driven me to be that same kind of person.”

 

Kelly’s next steps carry her into a role as an ER technician at a pediatric hospital, then to the 48th Bank of America Chicago Marathon — a race her mother and father ran together, that she will now be running in dedication to her dad. Kelly has raised $2,733 for the American Cancer Society as of April 9 to attend the race.

 

If you would like to contribute to the education of eligible SWAPA Pilot dependents, or know someone who could apply, visit the SWAPA Dependent Scholarship Fund page. 

 


 

Authored by Communications Editor Alexis Thomas. 

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