MAROA, Ill. (WCIA) — Next time you board a Southwest Airlines flight, take a closer look at the pilot’s tie. There’s a good chance a sixth grader in Macon County made it herself.

Students at Maroa-Forsyth Middle School are part of the company’s “Adopt-a-Pilot” program. About 1,200 pilots volunteer time in classrooms a few times throughout the year to teach students about aviation and lead STEM activities.

Ashley Higar, a Southwest pilot, dedicates a couple of his off days to children in Central Illinois to share his passion for science and math with them. But, he was never expecting one of the students to take his lessons to another level.

Ashley Rebong, a sixth grader, combined her interest in aviation and passion for the arts to design a tie and enter it in a national contest.

“I decided to make a sunset out of the colors of Southwest, then put in the airplane and make the clouds hearts,” she described.

But, she never expected to be the national winner, chosen out of thousands of students.

“I was really surprised,” Rebong said.

It was a surprise complete with confetti, music, balloons and lots of smiles.

“I’m very proud,” Armelito Rebong, her father, said.

Now, the next time Higar boards his 747 flight, he said he’ll proudly sport this unique tie.

“I’m going to be wearing this on my trips for the next several weeks,” he said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Rebong is still soaking in this moment and thinking about the fact that 1,200 pilots will take her artwork to skies around the world.

Only pilots who volunteer in the “Adopt-a-Pilot” program get to wear the ties. They’ll wear them the rest of this school year and into the next when another student and their design will take their place.