TM
| Encouraging more women and girls to have an interest in aviation... |
Scroll
Brenda:
I believe that ambition is the key to opportunities, and ambition is what I have carried with me
throughout my life. I would love to pass on my ambition to future female pilots out there;
motivate and support them in any way possible. My future is based on goals, challenges, and
the triumph of flight. My passion for flying has taken me this far and is continuing to take me
even further, a place where the sky is the limit.
I began looking up to the sky when I started high school and I have continued since. My
parents were never involved with my schoolwork, they didn’t make me join a sports team or
take ballet classes. My future was in my own hands, and I knew that I had to take action soon.
People always ask me “how did you become interested in flying?” when I have this question
asked I answer: “my father is a construction worker and my mother is a housekeeper;
therefore, I didn’t fly in airplanes with daddy when I was a little child. And no one in my family
has ever had a college degree or a professional career. I decided to step outside the box.” I
became motivated to become something more, and I became ambitious to follow my heart and
do something I love for the rest of my life. My relationship with aviation began during lunch
hours in high school. I would always go visit the college office, and I always sat down and tried
to figure out what school I was going to attend and what my career was going to be. I always
wanted to get involved in any college or career fairs and I always wanted to find out what was
out there. I found out in one of those fairs that women can be pilots and that there aren’t
many out there. This got my attention; I immediately fell in love with aviation. One summer in
high school I wanted to try something; I wanted to find out more about aviation and what my
path options were. I attended a weeklong summer program that introduced high school
students to the aviation industry; I saw many different airports and met many different pilots.
From that point on I knew I could do this; I knew that someday I will be able to fly airplanes
for a living. From that point on I did research on what to do after high school.
I searched for schools with aviation majors, and it was not common to find public schools with
an aviation program. There were a few private schools, but that was really not the right option
for me during the moment; I didn’t have the money then to afford a private institution and I
don’t have the money now. I ended up applying to many schools, but I chose San Jose State
University. SJSU gave me a great vibe with their aviation program, it turned out to be my first
choice, even if it meant turning down the notorious “UCs.”
I began taking flying lessons for my private pilot’s license about a year ago but I had to stop
because I was financially unstable. I was in a non-profit organization called the Aviation
Explorers Post 747. This organization was for high school students who had an interest in
getting their private pilots license. As soon as I joined I had to complete seven months of
community service served to prove that I did have the passion to fly, and that I was dedicated
to what I wanted to do. It was seven long months, but well worth the wait; I began to fly. It
was such a good feeling to finally satisfy my craving to fly. This organization helped me out a
lot with two free lessons a month. Lessons were slow, but it was all I could do at that point.
Soon enough I had a job. Each paycheck went towards my flying lessons. Unfortunately, my
financial status did not help me much once I moved out to start school in San Jose. The little
money I had went to books, food, housing, and clothes. But this is not preventing me from
continuing to dream and pursue my goal. My goal is to some day become a professional
corporate pilot.
Here I am now, trying to tag along with anything going on around town that has the word
“aviation” in it. Here I am making new friendships. Here I am, challenging myself.
Challenge has followed me every step of the way. Society challenges me by putting me down,
for being a short Hispanic female. Where I’m from there is a society of misbelieve. I get tired of
hearing “women don’t fly!” or “aren’t you suppose to be tall and white?” or “so you want to be
a flight attendant?” or “women stay at home.” I’m coming from a family of three brothers and a
stepfather who see women as just being at home cooking for her husband and children. That’s
not me; I don’t even know how to cook!
I have taken a huge step to move away from what puts my hopes down and those who do not
believe I can achieve. I have this passion and motivation to share in what I believe in: myself.
Trust and believe that my name will someday be in a pilot’s certificate.
As soon as I reach my career goal, I will love to give back to the community. Because if it were
not for great people and opportunities that have been offered to me, I would not speak the
words I now speak. As soon as my financial status improves, I will the motivation for those
who belittle themselves in this society. I will push them toward limitless goals. Because I
believe that there is nothing anyone cannot accomplish. Someday I will give out scholarship
awards just like “Girls with Wings” does; it will be called the Annual Brenda Aviation Award
(ABAA). I will be that door that I have been blessed with. I dream of controlling the cockpit, I
dream of my skeleton lifting up to 200 people up in the air, I dream of proving stereotypes
wrong, and I dream of making all my dreams come true. It’s difficult to continue when I feel like
if dreaming is all I will achieve, but my passion keeps me strong and keeps my head looking up
at the sky.
The airport really became a second home to me. If it was not for a flight lesson, it would be
just to hang out with the pilots in the pilots’ office or even just having a BBQ at a hangar. I
have dedicated so much time towards my career in aviation that I have grown into a much
more passionate future pilot. Many my age already achieved their goal of getting their private
pilots license, but I do not lower myself to them. Some are just more fortunate than others.
But some are blessed more with ambition as well, and I believe I have been blessed with this
strength despite the many obstacles life brought me and obstacle that I have yet to
experience. Aviation is the reason I now sit in front of this computer screen and the reason
why I came this far. Aviation is a continually growing industry and it will continue to grow as I
grow. Women in aviation will grow, and the ratio between men and women in aviation will
someday balance out, women might even outnumber men.
Someday my name will be in a pilot’s certificate, someday my name will be on scholarship
awards, and someday you will remember my passion and ambition and share it with those
around you. Someday I will look down from my jet to those who looked down on me and I will
make another girl out there look up to me. Someday.
I believe that ambition is the key to opportunities, and ambition is what I have carried with me
throughout my life. I would love to pass on my ambition to future female pilots out there;
motivate and support them in any way possible. My future is based on goals, challenges, and
the triumph of flight. My passion for flying has taken me this far and is continuing to take me
even further, a place where the sky is the limit.
I began looking up to the sky when I started high school and I have continued since. My
parents were never involved with my schoolwork, they didn’t make me join a sports team or
take ballet classes. My future was in my own hands, and I knew that I had to take action soon.
People always ask me “how did you become interested in flying?” when I have this question
asked I answer: “my father is a construction worker and my mother is a housekeeper;
therefore, I didn’t fly in airplanes with daddy when I was a little child. And no one in my family
has ever had a college degree or a professional career. I decided to step outside the box.” I
became motivated to become something more, and I became ambitious to follow my heart and
do something I love for the rest of my life. My relationship with aviation began during lunch
hours in high school. I would always go visit the college office, and I always sat down and tried
to figure out what school I was going to attend and what my career was going to be. I always
wanted to get involved in any college or career fairs and I always wanted to find out what was
out there. I found out in one of those fairs that women can be pilots and that there aren’t
many out there. This got my attention; I immediately fell in love with aviation. One summer in
high school I wanted to try something; I wanted to find out more about aviation and what my
path options were. I attended a weeklong summer program that introduced high school
students to the aviation industry; I saw many different airports and met many different pilots.
From that point on I knew I could do this; I knew that someday I will be able to fly airplanes
for a living. From that point on I did research on what to do after high school.
I searched for schools with aviation majors, and it was not common to find public schools with
an aviation program. There were a few private schools, but that was really not the right option
for me during the moment; I didn’t have the money then to afford a private institution and I
don’t have the money now. I ended up applying to many schools, but I chose San Jose State
University. SJSU gave me a great vibe with their aviation program, it turned out to be my first
choice, even if it meant turning down the notorious “UCs.”
I began taking flying lessons for my private pilot’s license about a year ago but I had to stop
because I was financially unstable. I was in a non-profit organization called the Aviation
Explorers Post 747. This organization was for high school students who had an interest in
getting their private pilots license. As soon as I joined I had to complete seven months of
community service served to prove that I did have the passion to fly, and that I was dedicated
to what I wanted to do. It was seven long months, but well worth the wait; I began to fly. It
was such a good feeling to finally satisfy my craving to fly. This organization helped me out a
lot with two free lessons a month. Lessons were slow, but it was all I could do at that point.
Soon enough I had a job. Each paycheck went towards my flying lessons. Unfortunately, my
financial status did not help me much once I moved out to start school in San Jose. The little
money I had went to books, food, housing, and clothes. But this is not preventing me from
continuing to dream and pursue my goal. My goal is to some day become a professional
corporate pilot.
Here I am now, trying to tag along with anything going on around town that has the word
“aviation” in it. Here I am making new friendships. Here I am, challenging myself.
Challenge has followed me every step of the way. Society challenges me by putting me down,
for being a short Hispanic female. Where I’m from there is a society of misbelieve. I get tired of
hearing “women don’t fly!” or “aren’t you suppose to be tall and white?” or “so you want to be
a flight attendant?” or “women stay at home.” I’m coming from a family of three brothers and a
stepfather who see women as just being at home cooking for her husband and children. That’s
not me; I don’t even know how to cook!
I have taken a huge step to move away from what puts my hopes down and those who do not
believe I can achieve. I have this passion and motivation to share in what I believe in: myself.
Trust and believe that my name will someday be in a pilot’s certificate.
As soon as I reach my career goal, I will love to give back to the community. Because if it were
not for great people and opportunities that have been offered to me, I would not speak the
words I now speak. As soon as my financial status improves, I will the motivation for those
who belittle themselves in this society. I will push them toward limitless goals. Because I
believe that there is nothing anyone cannot accomplish. Someday I will give out scholarship
awards just like “Girls with Wings” does; it will be called the Annual Brenda Aviation Award
(ABAA). I will be that door that I have been blessed with. I dream of controlling the cockpit, I
dream of my skeleton lifting up to 200 people up in the air, I dream of proving stereotypes
wrong, and I dream of making all my dreams come true. It’s difficult to continue when I feel like
if dreaming is all I will achieve, but my passion keeps me strong and keeps my head looking up
at the sky.
The airport really became a second home to me. If it was not for a flight lesson, it would be
just to hang out with the pilots in the pilots’ office or even just having a BBQ at a hangar. I
have dedicated so much time towards my career in aviation that I have grown into a much
more passionate future pilot. Many my age already achieved their goal of getting their private
pilots license, but I do not lower myself to them. Some are just more fortunate than others.
But some are blessed more with ambition as well, and I believe I have been blessed with this
strength despite the many obstacles life brought me and obstacle that I have yet to
experience. Aviation is the reason I now sit in front of this computer screen and the reason
why I came this far. Aviation is a continually growing industry and it will continue to grow as I
grow. Women in aviation will grow, and the ratio between men and women in aviation will
someday balance out, women might even outnumber men.
Someday my name will be in a pilot’s certificate, someday my name will be on scholarship
awards, and someday you will remember my passion and ambition and share it with those
around you. Someday I will look down from my jet to those who looked down on me and I will
make another girl out there look up to me. Someday.
