I have wanted to fly my whole life. My grandfather flew a C-141 in the Air Force. I have been fascinated with his stories from his time in the air my whole life. I dressed up in his uniform for every Halloween as soon as I was old enough to stand up in it. I have worn his flight helmet and dreamed of wearing my own for most of my life. If there is an airplane in the sky, I will spot it. It’s crazy to think I am that much closer to making this dream come true. I know I will earn my wings and I really hope my grandfather is there to see it happen. I graduated from high school this month with a 4.0 and I will be attending Virginia Tech’s Engineering School in the fall. My plan is to major in Aerospace engineering and then join the Air Force. I am excited to get closer to my dream this year! I look a lot like my grandfather and I love looking through his flight school yearbook and imagining myself in that flight suit. For my birthday, I was given a flight by my parents with an instructor at the local airport. I’m taking my grandfather with me to experience it. I am so excited! I will be able to check the plane, help with pre-flight routines, fly the plane, talk on the radio, and help with post-flight activities. I can’t wait to board that plane!! I am the oldest of 4 boys so I am always the first to experience everything. It can be hard to not have an older sibling leading the way, but I have an incredibly large and supportive extended family. I always have the biggest cheering section at any athletic or academic events. I am so thankful for all the guidance and I work hard to make them proud. My parents are definitely nervous about entering this next stage of paying for college and I’m proud of graduating with honors to help lighten the load. My goal is to earn some scholarships this summer to ease the burden. Yesterday, my lacrosse team went 2nd in the state. It was a bittersweet ending to a historic lacrosse season. I had never played lacrosse and was talked into joining the team my freshman year. It was slightly terrifying to join a team and be the least experienced player there. I quickly learned and improved and was voted a team captain my sophomore year. Our school had never had a lacrosse team in the state finals until my Junior year when we went to States and won! Our goal for our senior year was to be back to back state champs. It didn’t quite happen the way we wanted, but these 4 years of lacrosse have been truly amazing. I think back to almost not trying. I would have missed out on so much! The hard work, the growth, the successes and failures, and the team that became family! I know there are some big challenges on the horizon for me, but these 4 years have prepared me to face them all head-on. The sky’s the limit!!

Resilience and optimism are traits that define me as a person. My cousin Meg is the inspiration for why these traits are so important to me. Meg was diagnosed with Cerebellar Hypoplasia which is a variation in the CTBP1 gene. This affected multiple aspects of her development including her ability to walk and talk. Growing up I witnessed her struggle with health issues first hand, yet she was the most jovial person I have ever met. She did not let her battle with her diagnosis keep her down and that was incredibly inspirational to me. Although she passed away a year ago, her message and the lessons she has taught will stick with me forever. I have many shared memories with Meg that I hold dear but one that is my favorite is having lunch at Burger King. Since my cousin Ally and I were the oldest, we took turns helping her through the tubes of the playplace. Even though it was hard work, it was so worth it to see the happiness on her face because she got to play too. This experience taught me that the enjoyment of helping others truly goes both ways. Throughout Meg's life, she was constantly in and out of the hospital because her condition caused other health problems such as pneumonia and spinal surgeries. Despite these challenges, she continued to light up rooms with her smile. This was extremely inspirational to me because even as a little kid, she was braver than most adults. As an athlete, I keep this in mind in every lacrosse game I play and I will never let the smallest of injuries keep me off the field. As a student, I strive for perfection and work hard to get good grades. Having Meg in my life has taught me many things. Most notably, always be positive, never give up regardless of the situation, and cherish the time spent with loved ones. Being consistently positive is not something that is easy but just makes life more enjoyable for those around you as well as yourself. I believe that it is never okay to give up on even the smallest things because if you can't do the small things, how do you expect to be able to do the big ones? Lastly, the time you spend with those you love is worth more than anything in the world. As I move on to bigger and better things after high school, I know that these values will stay with me for the journey. I know that my resilience and work ethic will help me do great things in college and beyond. In Meg’s short eleven years on this Earth, she was able to impact thousands through her role as a Children's Miracle Network ‘champion’. Nothing would make me happier than to positively influence as many people as she did.

I have wanted to fly since I was old enough to remember my grandfather's stories about his time in the Air Force. I have been putting on his flight helmet for almost 18 years now. If there is an airplane in the sky, I will see it. I can't wait to earn my wings, just like my grandfather. For my birthday, I am getting to go on a 3 hour flight experience and my grandfather will go with me. I think I was a pilot for Halloween more than any other costume. I am planning on getting my bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering before I enter the United States Air Force. I am fascinated by anything aeronautical and I look forward to learning more about the mechanics of aviation. I am a hard-working student with a 4.04 GPA. I am the oldest of 4 boys and I strive to the be the best role model to my brothers that I can be. My parents have taught me to be determined, competitive, and driven. More importantly, my parents have taught me to be honest, caring, and helpful. I try to show all of these attributes. As a student, I always give 100% and strive to do my very best in all areas. I also work hard to be respectful and helpful to my teachers, just like I hope all students treat teachers like my mom. As a student athlete, I always give 100% to my team. This past year, my lacrosse team won the first State Title for Lacrosse in our school history! I have a large family that supports me in all areas. There is always a large cheering section at any event I take part in and I am very thankful. My family experienced a huge loss this past fall when my cousin, Meg, passed away. She only lived 11 years, but her impact on the world has been large and important. She was born with a rare degenerative disease that only 13 people has been disagnosed with ever. She spent her life in and out of hospitals, confined to a wheel-chair, and fed by a feeding tube. Her life was full of pain and loss and struggle, but she was the happiest person I've ever met. Her smile was ever-present, no matter how sick she was or how much she struggled. That smile made her the perfect poster child for Carilion's Children Miracle Network and she raised/continues to raise money for children with medical issues. She lit up every room she entered. I will continue to live my life like Meg. I will be positive, fearless, kind, helpful, happy, resilient, useful, and loving.