Telling someone about my “greatest achievement to date” is a rather difficult request: it is hard to find something truly worthwhile that one has accomplished, and then talk about it without sounding like you are tooting your own horn, so to speak. However, I think I can manage to answer without sounding like too much of a braggart. My greatest achievement to date is getting a perfect “A+” in my Meteorology class last year. The teacher was Miles Muzio, a local weatherman in Bakersfield, and thus a small-time celebrity that I grew up watching. When taking his class, one can see that not only is he extremely knowledgeable, but he also truly enjoys the teaching of Meteorology. And I enjoyed learning; The experiences I had in that class taught me that there really is more than one way to successfully approach a science-based subject, and to stop doubting myself on that matter. My perspectives that I shared with the class about weather tended to come from a more artistic, emotional standpoint (some might call it “right-brained”), and I believe it was helpful to at least some of the other students. The highlights of my experience in that class were the field trip we took to the Hanford weather station, playing (contributing to, and eventually winning) a special course-long game he had created that split the class into 3 teams, and immediately finding out that I had scored a perfect 100% on my Final Exam after finishing it on Canvas. This last one was both a surprise and a relief; I was prepared for a high score, but not a perfect one. The Lord really was with me that day. I do hope to achieve much in the future, the most important thing being to help others with the skills I acquire. One day, I will finally have my own airplane, and be able to fly people needing transport to specialist medical facilities who cannot otherwise afford it (these are called “Angel Flights”); one day, I will be able to help in putting out the fires that ravage my home state of California every year, from the skies; one day, I may use both my airplane pilot and foreign language skills to help bring disaster relief supplies to different places with the Red Cross. All of these goals require a good knowledge of Meteorology to be the best they can be, and my experiences in that class have given me such. With my greatest achievement to date, I have taken Step One towards my dreams. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Success, for me, probably does not look like how the average student today might imagine it to be: I have no interest in becoming world-renown for works I might make, discoveries I may encounter, or trends I could start. I do not necessarily seek to become wealthy, although I would like to be well off enough to bless others. Having observed the people around me, I have been given the impression that it is those things that they define and seek as “success”. No. Success for me is to be able to acknowledge that I have the skills necessary to give my best efforts to the tasks I am given: to be able to help myself and to help others. Life is about gathering as many skills in various areas of interest as you can, and using those skills to leave a positive effect on the world (and by extension, yourself). Therefore, a successful me is able to pursue and acquire a variety of skills at her leisure; I have already begun this process, having shown active interest in particular areas of the arts, sports, music, languages, and horticulture: I first began dabbling in sewing/embroidery, beading & jewelry-making, and general crafts when I was very young. I showed active interest in dancing, track & field, and the dramatic arts throughout elementary and high school. I have played the violin since the 4th grade, and have been expanding my musical pursuits into other instruments (including my voice) since then. I first began learning French as a Sophomore in high school, and still actively maintain my knowledge whilst dabbling in other languages (such as Spanish and Italian). I have always enjoyed taking care of plants, and have often dreamed of having my own garden. Expanding on all of these aforementioned items, and being able to pursue more throughout my life will make me “successful”. To further my path to success, I must finish what I set out to do so long ago: earning my Bachelor’s Degree, and my Commercial Pilot Certificate; I am a French Major with an Aviation Minor. There have been so many obstacles in the way since I began, a good portion of them stemming from financial issues. Being awarded the scholarship from this opportunity will allow me to achieve success by both giving me more (much needed) flight practice hours, as well as helping to pay for my necessary study abroad credits. With my Commercial Certificate, I can eventually go into aerial firefighting, and potentially help a lot of people by preventing the destruction of land and property from wildfires. With my degree in French, I can help in the development of virtual language assistants/translators, improving them for accurate real-time use by travelers and (im)migrants. Eventually, I will be able to help even more people: volunteering time and resources towards Angel Flights for those who have no other option: learning and mastering even more languages, allowing me to contribute even more towards developing language assistants. In summary, true success is being able to bless others with that which you have gained, starting with one’s knowledge. I intend to achieve it one day soon.

This opportunity is very meaningful to me, namely because I can openly discuss my Faith without anticipating odd or uncomfortable responses. My story is a convoluted one: even though I was never diagnosed with anxiety, I was still regularly ruled by anxious feelings, fears, self-doubts, and low self-esteem. Perhaps this was due to the fact that I grew up believing that God was out to get me whenever I messed up (i.e. the covenant of the Old Testament). That He would never truly forgive or forget my sins and misdeeds. Therefore, I was ruled by my fears: I did nice things for strangers to get people to like me in spite of my eccentric nature; I was a pretty awful sibling to my 3 sisters, a poor friend to my schoolmates, and never really felt like I got along with my mother. This all translated to a somewhat haphazard entry into college. I had decided that I wanted to learn how to fly, without having done any research into what it took to do so. The costs were so prohibitively high that I only got to fly 3 times Freshman year. However, by then, I had begun to learn more about what the Lord Jesus’ great sacrifice truly means for those of us living after the fact: that so long as we have Him to vouch for us (i.e. we genuinely accept Him as Lord and Savior), we get to enjoy the benefits of God’s grace and favor all throughout our lives via the avenue of Faith. My family and I learned these things from Pastor Joseph Prince of New Creation Church in Malaysia; their “sister” church (which I attend virtually every week) here in the USA is Grace Revolution Church. By trusting in the Lord’s favor, a way was found for me to consistently continue my flight lessons at PUC and California Aeronautical University. We started listening to these teachings of Grace when I was still fairly young (around 8 or so). The Adversary did everything in his fell power to keep them from sinking in. My “anxiety”, (having already made it difficult for me to engage with my local church during my adolescence), now made my learning to fly a slow and painful process. I was probably the least adept flight student at Pacific Union College, and among the least adept at California Aeronautical. But, of course, the Lord was with me. He brought me a couple of counselors/mentors that helped me identify my issue with anxiety. After the initial meeting, I felt a small sense of relief that I hadn’t felt before; The next portion of anxiety dissolved when I (finally) passes the Private Certification exam (of which the Adversary turned into a whole drama of its own, but that’s another story); The FAA requires at least 40 total hours for one to qualify for their Private Pilot Certification; I was not deemed ready until I had around 100. The final portion passed away when I turned 22 about a month later (September 9th, 2021). I felt an incredible sense of peace that only the Lord Jesus could have instilled in me when I woke up that morning. I knew I’d been cured of my anxiety! I’m now on the road to becoming a Commercial Pilot and a C1 French speaker. With Jesus’ Divine favor, I plan to obtain the means to get my certifications one lesson at a time, and use my skills to help others in the future, whether that be via pilot services, or in-the-moment ministry to someone like how I used to be.

Frustration, and Resignation. This bowl was inspired by those two emotions. It was 2019. The Winter Quarter at Pacific Union College was well underway. I was taking a glass crafting course, both to fill my credit gap and because I have a great curiosity concerning fine art (I will further elaborate on that later). I was struggling for various reasons, namely because I could not seem to use the cutting tool properly: even if my lines were perfect, the glass would often break unevenly, for reasons unknown to me. So when the Fused Glass Project finally came up, my struggles increased tenfold. I had chosen to do a very large bowl/platter shape (almost 2 feet in diameter), thinking that I could improve my cutting skills enough to make something even remotely uniform. I came to the glass lab several times outside of class to practice by myself… all of my efforts resulting in failure. When I went to cut the (special blend) of glass that would make up the primary color of my platter, the cuts either were not even, or did not break evenly, no matter how many times I tried. This frustrated me to no end. My hands were full of small injuries from my attempts. I do recall having cried a bit, ashamed that I was continually unsuccessful at something that everyone else seemed to have no problem with. Finally, on my last out-of-class session, I made a decision: not wanting to discard the jagged pieces of the expensive multicolored glass, I simply decided to use them regardless. The professor at the time, Robert Pappas, had entered the workshop when I was arranging my sorry shards into their frame, several slabs of single-color glass nearby me for adding into the gaps left by the jagged cuts. He kindly offered to cut those for me, after I explained to him what my plans were. These little uniform pieces fit in perfectly. After all was said and done, I put my project in the “to be fused” area, and resigned myself to an unnatural-looking piece. I, and everyone else, was very surprised to see what came out of the kiln: It was a lovely fusion of blues, browns, amber, and cream that had a personality and character unlike anything else made by the other students in the class. I did not really expect it to be nice, so I had not come up with a name for it (which is why it is “Untitled”). Mr. Pappas was very pleased, and encouraged me to enter the finished product into the Student Art Show that Spring: it won 1st Prize in the Glass Category. (I also entered it in the California State Fair, where it earned a Blue Ribbon). The Head of the Photography Department at PUC at the time even offered to purchase it from me. I ultimately turned him down, however, having grown fond of the thing I’d cut my hands so much to make. Even though Art isn’t my current “emphasis”, it is still something I actively participate in. I take courses in both Art and Art History, to improve my knowledge and crafting skills in any way I can. Jewelry and the crafting thereof holds my greatest interest: One day, I am looking into getting a certification from the Academy of Art University’s School of Jewelry & Metal Arts, furthering my jewelry-making skills and expanding my project scopes. This scholarship will help me in taking a big step towards that direction. Thank you for listening to my story, and for your consideration!

I want my studies to lead me to the forefront of Aviation innovation because I know my chosen career path(s) may eventually become obsolete. I am rather fond of the idea of small, short-hop cargo flights, and I know that the more pilots that are qualified and available to fight wildfires during Fire Season here in California, the better. However, cargo flight, regardless of size or content, is the most likely sector to be targeted for remote piloting implementation; probably because people on the whole would not trust their lives solely to remote/machine operation. Though, when one considers certain kinds of flown cargo, such as military supply flights or even flame retardant for wildfire zones, remote piloting could be a considerably safer alternative to what is currently done; It may even become the norm one day, with sufficient development. Therefore, it would be wise for one to get their metaphorical feet wet in areas like Unmanned Aircraft Systems to be prepared; I will certainly be considering it. As a low-income college newbie (who was also completely new to the world of Aviation itself at the start), I've had many challenges in my pursuit of a college education in Aviation; for illustration, I was only able to fly 3 times during my Freshman year. It was not until the next academic year that my parents and I found out about Parent PLUS loans; these became my key resource for funding flight lessons. On the first flight of that year, I was unaware that one needed to add full power to take off. I did not know what I should have been studying or paying specific attention to in my studies outside of the required "theory" courses. Obtaining my Private Certificate was an uphill battle, but I had a lot of people to help me; it took a great deal of spiritual Faith/prayer, many hours of repeated lessons, many hours of practicing with the computer simulator on my own time, and a couple of discontinued/rescheduled Practical Exams, but I finally obtained it at 2 1/2 times the predicted hour amount of 40 declared by the FAA (around 100 hours). I also obtained my Instrument Rating in a similar fashion the following year (2022). However, all of that extra time and practice added up: I was forced to discontinue attending flight school when I was midway into my Commercial Certificate training (I had just taken the Knowledge Test, and had passed with a 93%). This is an obstacle that I am still actively trying to overcome; fortunately, there is word on the wind of legislation being proposed to help Aviation college students specifically in funding their especially costly degrees. With that wonderful news to encourage me, I will do what I have to do to obtain my Commercial Certification, even if it means someday returning to California Aeronautical for an Associate of Science instead of a Bachelor. I plan to impact Aviation innovation in the future by looking further into the concept of circular/ovaline runways. The subject came up in class one day from one of the more senior academic instructors, and I, having never heard of the notion previously, have been fascinated with it ever since. Upon doing a little research on my own, I discovered that the idea had been scrapped due to the expense and impracticality of implementation in larger airports. However, my ideas involve the General Aviation setting, not the Commercial one: Having a circular "dirt strip", as it were, could greatly reduce the amount of necessary acreage. The idea has some truly exciting potential.

My interest in aviation stems primarily from taking my first commercial flight, and enjoying the sensation more than the average person would. (Although, as a child, there were also some less defined factors such as having an unusual fascination with both of the local airports.) I first flew in 2016 with United Airlines, going from Los Angeles, California to Burlington, Vermont, with a connecting flight boarding in Chicago. Tired as I was that evening and next day, I knew that Flight was a special experience for me, and made up my mind to look into flying professionally from that moment on; not even the hard landing in Chicago was enough to put me off of the idea; Where many find such things unpleasant, I find them exhilarating. When I stop and consider what I would like to do after graduation, I see myself sticking more towards smaller, piston-powered, non-passenger aircraft operations (for the time being, at least). Upon obtaining my degree, I would like to go into FedEx Feeder flying. I enjoy both the idea of short-hop parcel delivery, as well as the structural similarity of the C-208 to the more common kinds of training aircraft. Although, I have also been advised by my aviation professors to look into getting my Heavy Type-Rating in order to fly the C-408 (the SkyCourier) in addition to the Caravan when it is fully integrated into the FedEx Feeder fleet. I currently have my eyes on joining West Air's operations. As my career goes on, I eventually would like to do some single-pilot air tanker work. The yearly wildfires in California and the overall West Coast of the United States are disturbing disasters that need as many additional helping hands as possible to address them with minimal casualties. Having personally needed to evacuate the first college I attended during my final session there in 2020 due to the proximity of a wildfire, I can somewhat relate with wildfire victims; many of which do not have anything to return to when the final spark is finally extinguished. The fire that year did not destroy the college or the town it resides in; I would like to help in making that ideal outcome a reality for more people. As far as community involvement goes, I do like to volunteer wherever I fit in and whenever I am able to: I donate blood at the local blood bank, and I am currently rehearsing to be a caroler with a local organization for the upcoming holiday season. I am active with my local Ninety Nines group; We bring cookies to the ATC workers during the holidays, and are currently in the midst of scrapbooking our storied past. If I can help even one parcel get to its destination a little bit earlier, or keep a wildfire from consuming even one person's property, I want to do it. Receiving this scholarship money will help me obtain my degree and fulfill that goal.

It all started on a summer night at LAX. We had been on the ground for a good 45 minutes, being moved about by what I now know is the auxiliary power unit. The flight was to go from Los Angeles to Chicago; Traffic was heavy, and we were running late. At long last it was our turn for takeoff. The captain came on the intercom, apologizing for us being late, and promising to have us there early. With that, the engines fired up, and we lifted off the ground, climbing to FL 340 and cruising at roughly 600 miles per hour. The next morning, we arrived at Chicago O'Hare with a somewhat sideloaded landing that startled the entire cabin, although we were as early as promised. This was my very first experience with any form of flight. In 2016, I recieved the opportunity to go to summer camp in Vermont, and thus took my first flights with United Airlines. During those flights, l found that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of going so high in the air, and being among the clouds. I recall looking out the window and seeing the Moon and sky, looking more defined and surreal than I had ever seen them; in the second flight (Chicago to Burlington), I noticed just how much deeper the sky was in color compared to the view from the surface. It was then that I decided that I wanted to fly professionally; not necessarily in the capacity of an airline pilot, but just something that would have me in the air. I was and still am quite aware of how many people despise the experience of flight, and therefore thought I would be a good fit for the occupation, being of the opposite mind. Currently, I am looking into flying small cargo and/or aerial firefighting. As far as leadership qualities are concerned, I feel that I do particularly well with taking a step back and analyzing a situation before making a choice; I believe the proper term for it is "critical thinking skills". This is also helpful for developing compromises and maintaining the peace in a group, I find; a group does not operate well if there is not a certain degree of satisfaction among its members. As the eldest sibling of 4, I discovered this the hard way. These skills have been fairly helpful in my Aviation journey thus far, for times when I have had to fly with other students/instructors in the backseat, needed to divert for weather reasons, and for the one time when I lost my comms upon takeoff.

Growing up, libraries have had an important place in my life; for perspective, my Lifetime Checkout record in the Kern County Library system is 1,802. The first book I ever checked out, at my elementary school library, could actually be considered an ironic precursor to my chosen career path of airplane pilot ("Amelia & Eleanor Go For a Ride"). My reading craze began in earnest when I was in the 4th grade: I checked out the 4th Nancy Drew book, "The Mystery at Lilac Inn" from that very same library, and absolutely adored it. Ever since then, I have been an avid consumer of tales of mystery and adventure, particularly those in the Young Adult category. From those books, I have indeed learned many things; The primary 3 points being to remain curious, appreciate your uniqueness, and to never quit. Growing up, I was an odd child in personality and mannerism; however, I had what I now know was an enormous amount of social anxiety, and was very shy and/or awkward around others (among other negative effects), as a result. Much of my solace from these issues seemed to come from these books: diving into another world and journeying alongside the protagonist and supporting cast as they went through their adventures and/or solved the problems they were confronted with was absolutely heavenly for me; It is no wonder that I would consume novels of my choosing at a somewhat alarming rate. I began to pick up on how each of them celebrated their differences as the story progressed, rather than let them be a hindrance. When the Lord fully healed me of my anxiety on my 22nd birthday, I was finally able to do the same for myself: to revel in and celebrate my uniqueness; "I am different from many/most others, and that is perfectly fine". My sense of curiosity developed with my consumption of mystery novels. I always admired the analytical and observational skills and persistence of fictional detectives like Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Father Brown, and the popular detective of manga/anime fame, Shinichi (Jimmy) Kudo. They always pursue a problem to its bitter end, looking for every potential clue and evaluating every possiblity. I have sought to integrate such skills into my own life, especially considering my involvement in Aviation: Great observational/critical thinking skills are integral to being a sucessful airplane pilot. Nearly all of the protagonists of the books I enjoy(ed) go through some sort of difficulty, external and/or internal in nature. However, they always manage to push through, even in times where the situation seems especially desperate. I have sought to keep that same attitude, considering my own internal and external troubles. I might employ the use of a "tactical retreat" from time to time when things are not going well with whatever concept/task I am dealing with (something I could not properly convey growing up, due to my anxiety); Even if it means returning to the thing far in the future, I will never totally quit. All three of these concepts (curiosity, persistence, and uniqueness) have played parts in shaping my current goals: My curiosity drives me to attempt flight in various kinds of aircraft, as well as try improving on the ideas of previous aviators; Considering how my academic, aviation, and performing art journeys have gone so far, I'm going to need all the persistence I can get. As for uniqueness, I'm going to celebrate mine in everything I do, whether that be in art, aviation, etc. I am who I am, an eccentric lover of books.

The "dream" Capriana can tackle any craft, master any song/voice/sound of her choosing, fly her aircraft with ease and enjoyment, be well off enough to take care of herself and future pets (and bless others in the process), thoroughly analyze any problem, offer the best advice/counseling when consulted, have people see her for herself and not her appearances, and (despite being completely introverted), leave a genuine, positive, and kindly impression on both those who encounter her and the world as a whole, all through the Lord's guidance (of course).

Lifting off into the midnight air, and soaring along at a seemingly ridiculous speed is my first memory of flight. It is a feeling that has brought me thrill and enjoyment, rather than trepidation and/or panic, as with the average person. This is my main reason for becoming a commercial pilot. While I realize that joining major airline companies like Delta and United is commonly seen as the pinnacle of a piloting career, I am looking towards a great many options and opportunities for careers outside of the airlines. I am more inclined towards smaller, piston-engine aircraft as my "office space"; therefore, I am looking at potentially flying for West Air in one of their Cessna Caravan FedEx Feeder aircraft. They fly short-hop parcel deliveries from a given base city to multiple, smaller destinations. I have also been encouraged by my professors to try the larger Cessna SkyCourier when it becomes fully integrated into the fleet; although, for such an airplane, one also needs to have a Type Rating to fly it, as its Maximum Takeoff Weight is 19,000 pounds (one needs a Type Rating for any aircraft over 12,500, among other classifications). I am also considering a career as a fire-spotting aircraft for air tankers, or even flying a smaller tanker myself for Cal Fire. The spotter aircraft are smaller airplanes that fly out ahead of the tankers, and let them know where exactly to deposit their load of flame retardant via a visual signal. This particular occupation would go a long way in helping people all along the West Coast since wildfires are a frequent problem for California and its neighboring states. As far as my involvement in aviation goes, I don’t want to stop at those occupations: I plan to try flying seaplanes (amphibians, specifically; they have wheels within their pontoons) and possibly hot air balloons; I may also try to get my tailwheel endorsement, opening up more possibilities. I may participate in an air race or air show someday. I also have a few projects I want to pursue, like constructing a kit airplane (also known as a home-built), and seeing if I can successfully create a circular/ovaline airstrip on whatever property I choose to settle on. The potential is endless. Obtaining this scholarship will go a fair way in bridging the funding gap that I am currently experiencing in university. Renting the airplanes and paying for instructor time comes at a premium: for perspective, the multi-engine rating here (which is next for me after my Commercial certificate) done in the Beechcraft Baron comes at a steep $330/hour. Flight schools like CAU are subject to strict, high training-hour requirements; this means that all students need an unusually high amount of funding for each "academic year" they attend, with the amounts depending on which Certification they are obtaining, and how adept the student is to the "material". Such institutes are known as Part 141 schools, according to the 14th portion of the Code of Federal Regulations. Once I complete my degree and graduate, I will be able to obtain an aviation job of my choice and help reduce the much-discussed pilot shortage.