As a child, I remember mixing shampoos and contact solution trying to make “Potions that will Give You Wings” and for weeks, tracking progress on my shoulder blades for the wings that never came. I would one day grow up and look back at my persistence in trying to get those wings, thinking back to how devastated I was that I never got to see them. Now I feel as though they did grow; they’ve always been there, fueling and inspiring my drive to one day take off. Standing in my younger self’s shoes, when college applications and career paths never crossed my mind, I would never have guessed that the adult me would find her passion in an aviation degree. It’s like a tribute to my childhood dream but reflected through a young adult’s eyes. Through a child’s thought process, flight seemed so simple. Just try hard enough with a little pixie dust, and you’re good to go. Now unpack the estimated 2,000-year history of research, trials, and errors humans have undergone to achieve aviation, and then it doesn’t seem as straightforward as pixie dust or bathroom potions. Our evolutionary process never involved webbed feet for better swimming, or legs with the ability to run 70 miles per hour. That is what fascinates me. How humans’ ability to force evolution through creation and technological progress has led us to what was earlier thought impossible. And though the other topics of our remarkable adaptations are interesting, it is flight that caught my eye. Flight itself digs deeper into who I am than just being a career interest. It’s synonymous with my drive for adventure. That first drop of your stomach as the plane takes off, watching the clouds and lights as they drag past from thousands of miles above. Traveling by planes excites that inner child in me. And to others it reminds them of traveling during the holidays, visiting family, or even big changes that they’ve experienced in life. Flying connects people and places across the globe, allowing the opportunity to find adventure for those who seek it. I idolize those who guide the adventurers and travelers to their next journey. And one day I’d like to be that guide; a pilot. I look up to them similarly to how I view birds, envying the courage and bravery it takes to enter the skies, and their drive to fly with all the freedom the open air gives. Thinking back to the little me that thought flight was achievable through potion making, I watch how my perspective has changed, but that passion not once leaving my mind. Now as I stand at the finish line of my high school career, I see a little bit of that young girl cheering me on in the distance, ready to finally get her wings.