At the Age of Twelve
Having wings, reaching places thousands of miles away in a matter of
moments, having control of a large mechanical bird, being part of a small
group of passionate, outgoing, talented people. These are all things that at
some point in my life were described as impossible, amazing, wonderful and
much too difficult and extraordinary for a girl like me. Ever since I could
remember, my family traveled to Mexico at least once a year to visit my
grandparents. I was always happy to see them, but seeing them
was not the most exciting part of my trip. The part of family trips I remember
most is how I felt knowing we were going to the airport and getting so
excited to sit in the window seat. I loved getting up super early for our less
expensive red-eye flights. I enjoyed the drive to the airport as it was still
dark outside, and knowing that in a matter of hours the sun would be up and
I would be it a totally culturally different location. I loved the hustle and
bustle type of atmosphere. The process of checking our bags, being at the
gate watching airplanes taxi around the airport and finally being in my seat
looking out as we took off. I loved being able to leave everything behind while
I sat comfortably watching my movie, eating my FREE meal, looking out at
the world while having someone tend to my every need. I loved it all, and I
recall telling my mother at the age of twelve that I wanted to be a flight
attendant because nothing could be better than traveling, helping people and
getting paid for it all. Since female flight attendants were what I was mostly
exposed to during my flights, I thought it was the only career for women in
the aviation industry (that included traveling). I am sure that if I had seen
a woman pilot on any of my trips I might have felt like that would be an
option for me, but I had no one to help introduce me to aviation and the
possibilities it provided for BOTH men and women.
As I grew older, so did my love for travel, the trips to the airport and being in
these amazing flying machines were the perfect beginning to all my
adventures. When I arrived at college, my dream of being part of the aviation
industry became exactly that, just a dream. I was merely eighteen, finally
considered an adult, working as a host for about nine dollars an hour, and
following the norm of heading off to college. I felt as though aviation was
something too extraordinary for someone like me to achieve. By the end of
my first year at Long Beach State University, I found myself going through
the motions, and knowing that there had to be more to what I wanted to do
in life, than just getting a degree in business and finding some random office
job. I knew that I could not make a career out of something so hands-off.
One day my mother and I had a conversation about my love for travel, and
my career goal to become a flight attendant when I was twelve. Six months
after that conversation, my mother introduced me to a captain of Sky West.
I was able to have dinner with him and ask questions about how he became
interested the career he so passionately spoke about. I was inspired and
found that I could reach a higher goal or becoming a pilot. That is when I
discovered my dreams were not as impossible as I may have thought.
Second semester of my second year at a four-year university, I transferred
out and began my education at Mt. San Antonio Collage (Mt. SAC) where
they offer an associates degree in commercial flight. This is where I learned
that school could definitely be exciting since I looked forward to every
class because it was something of which I was truly interested. Mt. SAC's
Flight Training Administration (FTA) accepted into its flight program. After my
first twenty-seven hours of flying I had officially depleted the three thousand
dollars I had saved for training. After having to rent the plane and pay
instruction fees that money only got me to the brink of my solo. I stopped
flying for six months to avoid being more of a financial burden to my parents
in the quickly falling economy. My mother then began to ask me why I was
not flying and I told her I was trying to save more money for training. She
offered to do her best in helping me fund my flight training, the FTA was kind
enough to accept me for another semester after I explained why I was unable
to take advantage of the opportunity to fly the schools airplanes for six
whole months. Ever since then I have been flying thanks to my mother and
my working three part-time jobs, one of which is now as a dispatcher at my
flight school.
Unfortunately, because I was gone for so long I had to review everything, in
the long-run making things much more expensive for me. I have learned my
lesson and am motivated not to stop flying in order to earn the pilots license
that I have wanted for a very long time. I completed my first solo flight on
August 5, 2010 and I am now working on my cross-country time and hood
time. Mt. SAC also introduced me to an off-campus program through
Southern Illinois University (SIU) that helps you earn a bachelors degree in
aviation management. I am to be graduating from SIU in the spring of 2011,
and would like to continue flying in order to be able to become a corporate
pilot. While I earn my commercial license I hope to use my aviation
management degree to be able to work at an FBO.
I really wish I had been exposed to the Girls With Wings organization during
those six months of not flying. I really felt defeated and embarrassed
knowing that I was unable to finance what I had said I was going to do. My
mothers financial support was what gave me that glimmer of hope and
motivation to continue with my dreams. I also want to be a part of a support
group where other aspiring female pilots can see that at some point we all
feel discouraged, and when that happens we all have somewhere to go for
encouragement and support. If I am selected for this scholarship it would be
so important for me to be able to help young girls see that becoming a pilot
and reaching our dreams is possible and not just for boys (as I thought).
Girls With Wings is ideal for inspiring females of all ages by having
accomplished women of all backgrounds show that dreams are attainable
through their achieved success. Most importantly, it inspires girls like myself
to find ways to spread the inspiration to the youngest of our generation.
That way they learn early in life that there is no goal or dream they
cannot achieve.
Having wings, reaching places thousands of miles away in a matter of
moments, having control of a large mechanical bird, being part of a small
group of passionate, outgoing, talented people. These are all things that at
some point in my life were described as impossible, amazing, wonderful and
much too difficult and extraordinary for a girl like me. Ever since I could
remember, my family traveled to Mexico at least once a year to visit my
grandparents. I was always happy to see them, but seeing them
was not the most exciting part of my trip. The part of family trips I remember
most is how I felt knowing we were going to the airport and getting so
excited to sit in the window seat. I loved getting up super early for our less
expensive red-eye flights. I enjoyed the drive to the airport as it was still
dark outside, and knowing that in a matter of hours the sun would be up and
I would be it a totally culturally different location. I loved the hustle and
bustle type of atmosphere. The process of checking our bags, being at the
gate watching airplanes taxi around the airport and finally being in my seat
looking out as we took off. I loved being able to leave everything behind while
I sat comfortably watching my movie, eating my FREE meal, looking out at
the world while having someone tend to my every need. I loved it all, and I
recall telling my mother at the age of twelve that I wanted to be a flight
attendant because nothing could be better than traveling, helping people and
getting paid for it all. Since female flight attendants were what I was mostly
exposed to during my flights, I thought it was the only career for women in
the aviation industry (that included traveling). I am sure that if I had seen
a woman pilot on any of my trips I might have felt like that would be an
option for me, but I had no one to help introduce me to aviation and the
possibilities it provided for BOTH men and women.
As I grew older, so did my love for travel, the trips to the airport and being in
these amazing flying machines were the perfect beginning to all my
adventures. When I arrived at college, my dream of being part of the aviation
industry became exactly that, just a dream. I was merely eighteen, finally
considered an adult, working as a host for about nine dollars an hour, and
following the norm of heading off to college. I felt as though aviation was
something too extraordinary for someone like me to achieve. By the end of
my first year at Long Beach State University, I found myself going through
the motions, and knowing that there had to be more to what I wanted to do
in life, than just getting a degree in business and finding some random office
job. I knew that I could not make a career out of something so hands-off.
One day my mother and I had a conversation about my love for travel, and
my career goal to become a flight attendant when I was twelve. Six months
after that conversation, my mother introduced me to a captain of Sky West.
I was able to have dinner with him and ask questions about how he became
interested the career he so passionately spoke about. I was inspired and
found that I could reach a higher goal or becoming a pilot. That is when I
discovered my dreams were not as impossible as I may have thought.
Second semester of my second year at a four-year university, I transferred
out and began my education at Mt. San Antonio Collage (Mt. SAC) where
they offer an associates degree in commercial flight. This is where I learned
that school could definitely be exciting since I looked forward to every
class because it was something of which I was truly interested. Mt. SAC's
Flight Training Administration (FTA) accepted into its flight program. After my
first twenty-seven hours of flying I had officially depleted the three thousand
dollars I had saved for training. After having to rent the plane and pay
instruction fees that money only got me to the brink of my solo. I stopped
flying for six months to avoid being more of a financial burden to my parents
in the quickly falling economy. My mother then began to ask me why I was
not flying and I told her I was trying to save more money for training. She
offered to do her best in helping me fund my flight training, the FTA was kind
enough to accept me for another semester after I explained why I was unable
to take advantage of the opportunity to fly the schools airplanes for six
whole months. Ever since then I have been flying thanks to my mother and
my working three part-time jobs, one of which is now as a dispatcher at my
flight school.
Unfortunately, because I was gone for so long I had to review everything, in
the long-run making things much more expensive for me. I have learned my
lesson and am motivated not to stop flying in order to earn the pilots license
that I have wanted for a very long time. I completed my first solo flight on
August 5, 2010 and I am now working on my cross-country time and hood
time. Mt. SAC also introduced me to an off-campus program through
Southern Illinois University (SIU) that helps you earn a bachelors degree in
aviation management. I am to be graduating from SIU in the spring of 2011,
and would like to continue flying in order to be able to become a corporate
pilot. While I earn my commercial license I hope to use my aviation
management degree to be able to work at an FBO.
I really wish I had been exposed to the Girls With Wings organization during
those six months of not flying. I really felt defeated and embarrassed
knowing that I was unable to finance what I had said I was going to do. My
mothers financial support was what gave me that glimmer of hope and
motivation to continue with my dreams. I also want to be a part of a support
group where other aspiring female pilots can see that at some point we all
feel discouraged, and when that happens we all have somewhere to go for
encouragement and support. If I am selected for this scholarship it would be
so important for me to be able to help young girls see that becoming a pilot
and reaching our dreams is possible and not just for boys (as I thought).
Girls With Wings is ideal for inspiring females of all ages by having
accomplished women of all backgrounds show that dreams are attainable
through their achieved success. Most importantly, it inspires girls like myself
to find ways to spread the inspiration to the youngest of our generation.
That way they learn early in life that there is no goal or dream they
cannot achieve.
Interested in applying? See also: Scholarship Info
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