Project Preflight:
The Smartest Woman
on Campus

Opening Question

"Right now, somewhere on a college campus, a young woman is in a situation she didn't see coming. In 60 minutes, that woman will no longer be you."

Icebreaker (2 min)

Ask the audience: "Raise your hand if you've ever been told to 'be careful' — but nobody ever told you HOW." Let that land. That gap between feeling safe and being safe is exactly why we're here.

Credibility (2 min)

Introduce Capt. Robert Polakoski — former USAF Instructor Pilot, United Airlines Captain. The same frameworks that keep millions of passengers safe at 35,000 feet are now yours.

The Promise (2 min)

"By the end of this hour, you will have a personal safety operating system — not a feeling, not a hashtag, but an actual capability. We will make you the smartest woman on campus."

Roadmap Preview (2 min)

Preview the four modules: Agency, Threat Levels, Flight Deck Awareness, and Sovereignty.

The Statistics

• 1 in 5 college women experience sexual assault during their college years
• 90% of victims know their attacker — this is not a stranger-danger problem
• Alcohol is a factor in the majority of campus sexual assaults
• Most incidents occur in the first 8 weeks of freshman year — the "Red Zone"
• Most campus safety programs give women feelings of empowerment. None give them a system.

The Core Insight

"Empowerment is what someone hands you. Agency is what you build for yourself. One is a gift. The other is a weapon." — Capt. Polakoski

Module 1 — Agency Protocol (8 min)

Stop waiting to feel safe. Start acting safe.

• Empowerment = a mindset | Agency = a skill set
• Empowerment hopes for the best | Agency plans for the worst
• Empowerment is reactive | Agency is proactive

Module 2 — Threat Level System (8 min)

Know exactly what you're dealing with — and what to do next.

• 🟢 Routine — Normal environment, baseline awareness active
• 🟡 Warning — Something feels off; begin active scanning
• 🟠 Critical — Threat confirmed; prepare to act decisively
• 🔴 Impact — Immediate action required; execute your exit

"Pilots don't wait until the engine is on fire to read the checklist."

Module 3 — Flight Deck Terms (7 min)

Three concepts from the cockpit that will save your life on the ground.

• Expectation Bias — Seeing what you expect instead of what's real. Example: "He's my friend's friend, so he's safe." This cognitive trap is your greatest vulnerability.
• Unsafe Condition — Any environment where your risk exposure exceeds your control capacity. You have the authority — and the duty — to leave.
• Situational Awareness — The continuous loop of Observe → Orient → Decide → Act. A pilot runs this loop every 30 seconds. So should you.

Module 4 — Sovereignty (7 min)

Alcohol and Agency — you can choose to drink and still stay in control.

• Plan your intake before you arrive
• Never leave your drink unattended
• Assign a Co-Pilot (sober or less-impaired friend)
• Run a mental check-in every 30 minutes
• Secure your transportation before you need it
• Honor your Go/No-Go decision — and commit to it

"Control isn't abstinence. Control is Agency applied to alcohol."

The Aviation Track Record

• Commercial aviation has reduced fatal accident rates by over 95% since the 1970s — through checklists, situational awareness frameworks, and crew resource management
• The same systematic, protocol-driven approach is the foundation of Project Preflight
• These are not theories — they are battle-tested operating procedures used by military and commercial pilots every day
• Brief story: A student who applied the Threat Level framework and exited a dangerous situation before it escalated

Recap the System (1 min)

Agency → Threat Awareness → Situational Awareness → Sovereignty. Four modules. One operating system.

The Challenge (2 min)

This week, run the Threat Level check at every social situation you enter. Practice Situational Awareness for 7 days. Notice what you see that you never saw before.

The Commitment (1 min)

Ask the audience to name their Co-Pilot — right now, in the chat or to the person next to them.

Closing Statement

"Empowerment tells you that you matter. Agency proves it — through every decision you make, every threat you see coming, and every time you choose your outcome over someone else's agenda. You are not a victim waiting to happen. You are a pilot. And you are cleared for takeoff."