APRO Scholarship applications are now open! For more than 15 years, the APRO Charitable Foundation has annually provided scholarships to rent-to-own professionals and their families. APRO members have contributed generously to the APRO Scholarship Fund – awarding 522 scholarships totaling $1,180,250 to date – empowering students connected with RTO to pursue college degrees, technical credentials, and successful futures.
Ethan Levy of Aylett, Virginia – one of the 39 deserving 2024 APRO Scholarship recipients – is using his scholarship to fulfill a longtime dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot.
“I’ve always loved driving – from electric toys to tractors to dirt bikes – and wanted driving to be a part of my career,” says Ethan. “I flew for the first time during a family trip to Arizona when I was ten, and fell in love with flight. I have dreamed of being a pilot ever since.”
Ethan is currently training at Williamsburg Flight Center, a Part 61 flight school offering a flexible approach to obtaining pilot certificates and ratings. Part 61 schools let students progress at their own pace and tailor their training to their individual needs. Ethan plans to complete all his training within the next two years and achieve his commercial pilot rating.
One reason Ethan attends a self-led flight school is because he has to work to afford his training.
“My sister is at the University of Virginia, and we both struggle to pay for our education,” Ethan says. “My parents both came from low-income homes – my mother was from a farming family, and my father is the son of an Israeli immigrant, so college was never really an option for them. They’ve made many sacrifices for us along the way, but they just don’t have a lot of extra money to help us pay for college.”
Ethan fits his pilot training coursework around his full-time job as a Shop Manager at RNR of Virginia LLC dba RNR Tire Express – the same company his dad, Joshua Levy, has been with for the past 15 years. Joshua began with RNR in 2010 as a Store Manager, won Salesman of the Year for five consecutive years, and was promoted to District Manager in 2015.
“In many ways, my dad has grown up with rent-to-own,” says Ethan. “The RTO industry has put food on the table for my family almost my whole life, and has helped my dad grow personally as well. He’s gone from a young man to an adult with RNR, developing excellence in customer service, sales, multitasking, managerial tasks, and leadership. My dad gets to provide for his family while doing what he loves; he wouldn’t be the man he is without the opportunity to work in rent-to-own.”
Ethan is grateful for RTO – for his father’s provision and growth, his own income, and the APRO Scholarship helping him move forward toward his ultimate goal of becoming a flight professional.
“Being a professional pilot will guarantee me a stable career with benefits and advancement opportunities,” Ethan says. “I want to avoid long-term financial hardship, and make enough money to pay for my future children’s college educations – I want to save them that struggle if I can. I’m working very hard to begin my dream job as a pilot as soon as I can, and rent-to-own is definitely supporting me in that endeavor. No matter what, I will achieve my dream.”
APRO Scholarship applications are open through April 25, 2025 – just click here to apply.
Ethan’s is one of the dozens of positive stories that generous donations from the RTO community make happen each year. Click here to learn more and contribute to this invaluable industry effort.
