I have wanted to be a pilot for as long as I can remember. For years, every time I was asked, my response was confident; I want to be a pilot, I want to fly planes. People would be impressed and they would ask why; for a long time, I didn’t know where it started. Finally I decided to ask my mom why I started saying that I wanted to be a pilot and she told me it started in Kindergarten. 

On career day, one of my classmate’s dad came in and told us about how he was a pilot and how he got to fly airplanes. 5 year old me thought this was the coolest thing ever and when I got home that day I told my parents I wanted to fly airplanes like he did. 

My parents were impressed but they figured that I would have a new dream by the next year, like kids usually do. But they were determined to fuel the fire by taking me to air shows and teaching me about fighter jets. We would sit by the computer for hours, watching videos and reading about different jets. 

When my dad was younger, he had been on the path to attend the Naval Academy. He had received his letter of assurance and was 100% sure he wanted to go there, until he was diagnosed with epilepsy and failed to pass the medical examination. His whole future that he had planned out was pretty much ruined and he had to try and find a new passion. When I learned about this, I realized why he and my mom had been doing so much to allow me to see my dreams. 

Flash forward to today and I am actually becoming a pilot. I am currently working on getting my Private Pilot's License and it is absolutely incredible. Learning how to fly is very exciting and nothing can compare to the thrill that I get every time I am in the air. 

I am also signed with the Air Force Academy gymnastics team and am waiting to find out if I got into the school. Being able to attend the Air Force Academy would be an incredible opportunity for me and I hope that I have the opportunity, not only for myself, but for my dad. Since he was never able to live out his dreams, I want to live out mine for both of us. He has played such a huge role in this dream and I want to be able to reach it for him. 

I also know that there are not many female fighter pilots. The number is increasing, but there are still significantly more men and I want to work to help change that. Pilot is not usually a dream job for young girls because I think that it is typically looked at as a job that is more for males. I want to inspire other young girls to try if they want to because women are just as capable as men.