My desire to fly originated after the COVID-19 pandemic. It was during my junior year of high school when questions about my plans started to arise. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do because I hadn't been introduced to anything that particularly struck my interest to the point where I wanted to pursue it as a career. Travel has always been an interest of mine for as long as I can remember. As a child, I even wanted to be an explorer. Additionally, airports have always intrigued me. I believe this is because every time I was in one, it felt like a hub with multiple cultures from all over the world converging to travel to new places. During quarantine, I had a lot of time to think deeply about my passions and what truly gave me joy. During this process, I coincidentally gained an interest in acquiring my private pilot’s license to get into flying as a hobby. As I did my research, I stumbled across information about flying as a career, and it was like a wake-up call for me. The more I read, the more I realized this was a perfect match for my passion for travel which has always been with me. I finally decided to pursue this fully, my family was shocked to hear the news but fully supported me. At the time, I didn't know a single thing about aviation and had never spoken to a pilot. I joined the Red-Tailed Hawks Flying Club and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals to start building a foundation. These clubs provided many learning opportunities, further igniting my passion for flying. I would describe my present goals as foundational steps that will propel me to my future goals and eventually to my ultimate goal. Currently, my main goal is to acquire my private pilot license. I plan on getting my license through the aviation program at Central Washington University, where I currently attend. This is the first step I need to take to accomplish my other present goals, which include obtaining all the ratings and certifications available at CWU's flight program. By putting in the work and staying with the program, I strongly believe that these goals will be accomplished. On the other hand, flight training is expensive, so my current goal to fund my training is to apply for different scholarships throughout my flight training, including this one, while also saving the money I earn from my job at the Seattle Tennis Club. Five years from now, my goal is to have all the qualifications and hours to receive an ATP license, which I can use to become an airline pilot. To achieve this goal, I will work as a certified flight instructor after graduating from college to build my hours and gain experience to meet the qualifications to fly for the airlines. Another goal I have for the future is to meet and build incredible relationships with other aviators like me. Through clubs like the Red-Tailed Hawks and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, I am given opportunities to network with many people who work in aviation. I plan on joining other groups and clubs to achieve this goal. Finally, my ultimate goal is not only to become a pilot for the airlines but also to inspire younger kids with the joy of flying and traveling.

My desire to fly originated after the COVID-19 pandemic. It was during my junior year of high school when questions about my plans started to arise. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do because I hadn't been introduced to anything that particularly struck my interest to the point where I would want to pursue it as a career. Travel has always been an interest of mine for as long as I can remember. As a child, I even wanted to be an explorer. Additionally, airports have always intrigued me. I believe this is because every time I was in one, it felt like a hub with multiple cultures from all over the world converging to travel to new places. During quarantine, I had a lot of time to think deeply about my passions and what truly gave me joy. During this process, I coincidentally gained an interest in acquiring my private pilot’s license to get into flying as a hobby. As I did my research, I stumbled across information about flying as a career, and it was like a wake-up call for me. The more I read, the more I realized this was a perfect match for my passion for travel which has always been with me. I finally decided to fully pursue this, my family was shocked to hear the news but fully supported me. At the time, I didn't know a single thing about aviation and had never spoken to a pilot. To start building a foundation, I joined the Red-Tailed Hawks Flying Club and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals. These clubs provided me with many learning opportunities, further igniting my passion for flying. I would describe my present goals as foundational steps that will propel me to my future goals and eventually to my ultimate goal. Currently, my main goal is to acquire my private pilot license. I plan on getting my license through the aviation program at Central Washington University, where I currently attend. This is the first step I need to take to accomplish my other present goals, which include obtaining all the ratings and certifications available at CWU's flight program. By putting in the work and staying with the program, I strongly believe that these goals will be accomplished. On the other hand, flight training is expensive, so my current goal to fund my training is to apply for different scholarships throughout my flight training, including this one, while also saving the money I earn from my job at the Seattle Tennis Club. Five years from now, my goal is to have all the qualifications and hours to receive an ATP license, which I can use to become an airline pilot. To achieve this goal, I will work as a certified flight instructor after graduating from college to build my hours and gain experience to meet the qualifications to fly for the airlines. Another goal I have for the future is to meet and build incredible relationships with other aviators like me. Through clubs like the Red-Tailed Hawks and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, I am given opportunities to network with many people who work in aviation. I plan on joining other groups and clubs to achieve this goal. Finally, my ultimate goal is not only to become a pilot for the airlines but also to inspire younger kids with the joy of flying and traveling.

My desire to fly originated from the time after the COVID-19 pandemic. It was during my junior year of high school and questions about my plans after high school started to pop up. I didn't exactly know what I wanted to do because I hadn't exactly been introduced to anything that particularly struck my interest to a point where I would want to pursue it as a career. Travel has always been an interest of mine for as long as I can remember. As a child, I even wanted to be an explorer. To add to this, airports have weirdly also always intrigued me. I believe this is because every time I was in one it felt like a Hub with multiple cultures from all over the world getting the chance to travel to a new place. During quarantine, I had a lot of time to think deeply about my passions and things that gave me joy. During this process, I had coincidently gained an interest in acquiring my Private Pilot’s license to get into flying as a hobby. As I did my research, I stumbled across information about flying as a career and it was like a wakeup call for me. As I read more about it, I started to realize this was a perfect match for my passion for travel which has always been with me. I finally made the decision to fully pursue this, and my family was shocked to hear the news but fully supported me. I did not know a single thing about aviation at all and had never spoken to a pilot. To start building a foundation, I joined the Red-Tailed Hawks Flying Club and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals. These clubs gave me many learning opportunities further igniting my passion for flying. I would describe my present goals as foundational goals that will propel me to my future goals and eventually my ultimate goal. Currently, my main goal is to acquire my private pilot license. I plan on getting my license through the aviation program at Central Washington University's aviation program where I currently attend. This is the first step I need to take that will allow me to accomplish my other present goal, which is to get all the ratings and certifications available at CWU's flight program. By putting in the work and staying with the program I strongly believe that these goals will be accomplished. Moving to five years from now, my goal is to have all the qualifications and hours to receive an ATP license which I can use to become an airline pilot. To achieve this goal, I will work as a certified flight instructor after graduating from college to build my hours and gain experience that will meet the qualifications to fly for the airlines. Another goal I have for the far future is to meet and build incredible relationships with other aviators like me. Through clubs like the Red-Tailed Hawks and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, I am given opportunities to network with many people who work in aviation and also give back to the community that helped me reach my goals by volunteering and helping the younger kids reach their goals. I plan on joining other groups and clubs to achieve this goal. Finally, my ultimate goal is not only to become a pilot for the airlines, it is to also inspire younger kids with the joy of flying and traveling.

My desire to fly originated from the time after the COVID-19 pandemic. It was during my junior year of high school and questions about my plans after high school started to pop up. I didn't exactly know what I wanted to do because I hadn't exactly been introduced to anything that particularly struck my interest to the point where I would want to pursue it as a career. Travel has always been an interest of mine for as long as I can remember. As a child, I even wanted to be an explorer. To add to this, airports have weirdly also always intrigued me. I believe this is because every time I was in one it felt like a Hub with multiple cultures from all over the world getting the chance to travel to a new place. During quarantine, I had a lot of time to think deeply about my passions and things that gave me joy. During this process, I had coincidently gained an interest in acquiring my Private Pilot’s license to get into flying as a hobby. As I did my research, I stumbled across information about flying as a career and it was like a wakeup call for me. As I read more about it, I started to realize this was a perfect match for my passion for travel which has always been with me. I finally made the decision to pursue this, and my family was shocked to hear the news but fully supported me. I did not know a single thing about aviation at all and had never spoken to a pilot. To start building a foundation, I joined the Red-Tailed Hawks flying club and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals. These clubs gave me many learning opportunities further igniting my passion for flying. I would describe my present goals as foundational goals that will propel me to my future goals and eventually my ultimate goal. Currently, my main goal is to acquire my private pilot license. I plan on getting my license through the aviation program at Central Washington University aviation program where I currently attend. This is the first step I need to take that will allow me to accomplish my other present goal, which is to get all the ratings and certifications available at CWU's flight program. By putting in the work and staying with the program I strongly believe that these goals will be accomplished. On the other hand, flight training is expensive so currently my goal to fund my training is through applying for different scholarships throughout my flight training including this one, while also saving the money I earn from my job at the Seattle Tennis Club. Moving to five years from now, my goal is to have all the qualifications and hours to receive an ATP license which I can use to become an airline pilot. To achieve this goal, I will work as a certified flight instructor after graduating from college to build my hours and gain experience that will meet the qualifications to fly for the airlines. Another goal I have for the far future is to meet and build incredible relationships with other aviators like me. Through clubs like the Red-Tailed Hawks and Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, I am given opportunities to network with many people who work in aviation. I plan on joining other groups and clubs to achieve this goal. Finally, my ultimate goal is not only to become a pilot for the airlines, it is to also inspire younger kids with the joy of flying and traveling.

I would say that my childhood isn't one common in Kirkland, Washington. My father is from the U.S. and my mother is Kenyan. At an early age, I moved to Kenya to spend time with my family over there. I lived in Kenya for five years, and during my time there I was growing up differently than kids would be growing up in the States. In 2015 when I moved back to the United States, I found it difficult to fit in with the other kids at school because of my heavy accent and not understanding the "American culture" too well. I was eventually able to "Americanize" myself to fit in to society throughout the years. Currently, I am a student pilot at Central Washington University. My interest in Aviation began when I joined the Red-Tailed Hawks Flying Club and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals. I first joined these clubs as a student, then as I gained experience I became a volunteer mentor to the younger kids in the club. These clubs gave me many learning opportunities further igniting my passion for flying and inspiring the younger black generation that they can also enter the aviation field and be accomplished. Moving to five years from now, my goal is to have all the qualifications and hours to receive an ATP license which I can use to become an airline pilot. To achieve this goal, I will work as a certified flight instructor after graduating from college to build my hours and gain experience that will meet the qualifications to fly for the airlines. Another goal I have for the far future is to meet and build incredible relationships with other aviators like me. Through clubs like the Red-Tailed Hawks and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, I am given opportunities to network with many people who work in aviation. I plan on joining other groups and clubs to achieve this goal. Finally, my ultimate goal is once I have graduated college I want to continue to participate in the clubs that I am apart of so that the children in these clubs can hopefully be inspired to go after their goal in aviation. When it comes to my family, getting a college degree would have a large positive impact on them since they have made a lot of sacrifices to allow me to pursue my dream even though it is something that is unfamiliar to my family and is generally a costly path. I strongly believe that in the end it will be all worth it and my family will know that all their sacrifices had a positive outcome hopefully making them proud of me.

My desire to fly originated from the time after the Covid-19 Pandemic. It was during my junior year of high school and questions about my future plans after high school started to pop up. I didn't exactly know what I wanted to do because I hadn't exactly been introduced to anything that particularly struck my interest to a point where I would want to pursue it as a career. Travel has always been an interest of mine for as long as I can remember. As a child I even wanted to be an explorer. To add to this, airports have weirdly also always intrigued me. I believe this is because every time I was in one it felt like a Hub with multiple cultures from all over the world getting the chance to travel to a new place. During quarantine I had a lot of time to think deeply about my passions and things that really gave me joy. During this process, I had coincidently gained an interest in acquiring my Private Pilot’s license to get into flying as a hobby. As I did my research, I stumbled across information about flying as a career and it was like a wakeup call for me. As I read more about it, I started to realize this was a perfect match for my passion of travel that has always been with me. I finally made the decision to fully pursue this, and my family was shocked to hear the news but fully supported me. I did not know a single thing about aviation at all and had never spoken to a pilot. To start building a foundation, I joined the Red-Tailed Hawks flying club and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals. These clubs gave me many learning opportunities further igniting my passion for flying. I would describe my present goals as foundational goals that will propel me to my future goals and eventually my ultimate goal. Currently my main goal is to acquire my private pilot license. I plan on getting my license through the aviation program at Central Washingtons University's aviation program where I currently attend. This is the first step I need to take that will allow me to accomplish my other present goals, which is to get all the ratings and certifications available at CWU's flight program. By putting in the work and staying with the program I strongly believe that these goals will be accomplished. On the other hand, flight training is expensive so currently my goal to fund my training is through applying for different scholarships throughout my flight training including this one, while also saving the money I earn from my job at the Seattle Tennis Club. Moving to five years from now, my goal is to have all the qualifications and hours to receive an ATP license which I can use to become an airline pilot. To achieve this goal, I will work as a certified flight instructor after graduating college to build my hours and gain experience that will meet the qualifications to fly for the airlines. Another goal I have for the far future is to meet and build incredible relationships with other aviators like me. Through clubs like the Red-Tailed Hawks and Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals I am given opportunities to network with many people who work in aviation. I plan on joining other groups and clubs like to achieve this goal. Finally, my ultimate goal is not only to become a pilot for the airlines, it is to also inspire younger kids with the joy of flying and traveling.

My desire to fly originated from the time after the Covid-19 Pandemic. It was during my junior year of high school and questions about my future plans after high school started to pop up. I didn't exactly know what I wanted to do because I hadn't exactly been introduced to anything that particularly struck my interest to a point where I would want to pursue it as a career. Travel has always been an interest of mine for as long as I can remember. As a child I even wanted to be an explorer. To add to this, airports have weirdly also always intrigued me. I believe this is because every time I was in one it felt like a Hub with multiple cultures from all over the world getting the chance to travel to a new place. During quarantine I had a lot of time to think deeply about my passions and things that really gave me joy. During this process, I had coincidently gained an interest in acquiring my Private Pilot’s license to get into flying as a hobby. As I did my research, I stumbled across information about flying as a career and it was like a wakeup call for me. As I read more about it, I started to realize this was a perfect match for my passion of travel that has always been with me. I finally made the decision to fully pursue this, and my family was shocked to hear the news but fully supported me. I did not know a single thing about aviation at all and had never spoken to a pilot. To start building a foundation, I joined the Red-Tailed Hawks flying club and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals. These clubs gave me many learning opportunities further igniting my passion for flying. I would describe my present goals as foundational goals that will propel me to my future goals and eventually my ultimate goal. Currently my main goal is to acquire my private pilot license. I plan on getting my license through the aviation program at Central Washingtons University's aviation program where I currently attend. This is the first step I need to take that will allow me to accomplish my other present goals, which is to get all the ratings and certifications available at CWU's flight program. By putting in the work and staying with the program I strongly believe that these goals will be accomplished. On the other hand, flight training is expensive so currently my goal to fund my training is through applying for different scholarships throughout my flight training including this one, while also saving the money I earn from my job at the Seattle Tennis Club. Moving to five years from now, my goal is to have all the qualifications and hours to receive an ATP license which I can use to become an airline pilot. To achieve this goal, I will work as a certified flight instructor after graduating college to build my hours and gain experience that will meet the qualifications to fly for the airlines. Another goal I have for the far future is to meet and build incredible relationships with other aviators like me. Through clubs like the Red-Tailed Hawks and Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals I am given opportunities to network with many people who work in aviation. I plan on joining other groups and clubs like to achieve this goal. Finally, my ultimate goal is not only to become a pilot for the airlines, it is to also inspire younger kids with the joy of flying and traveling.