Most kids go into senior year with little to no idea of what they want to do. I am not like most kids, as I found my purpose at a very early age. My grandpa had a friend who was a pilot and he took me for a flight. It was a cool day in the spring of 2012, I walked around the plane with him as he did his preflight checks He showed me everything you have to do before takeoff, touching every inch of the plane, making sure the ailerons, flaps, rudder and propeller were all in tip top shape. As we finished our preflight inspection, I knew this was my calling, as the most boring part of the flight had me intrigued and captivated. From that one fateful day I have dedicated my life to learning about and pursuing aviation. This concept of gliding through the air with the elegance of an eagle has always had me intrigued. Every time I think or talk about aviation I lose all sense of time. There have been instances where I would be doing research on aviation for 3-4 hours and it felt like 10 minutes. I love talking about this topic, it is an endless conversation. When I was younger my mom would ask me aviation questions, because she loved watching as I would ramble on and on about aviation and my dream of flying her in a 737 one day. Even before I took the controls for the first time I was always fascinated by flying. This fascination is what drives me to dedicate my life to learning and growing in the world of aviation. The captivation that began when I was a kid is one of the many reasons why I am pursuing my interest in aviation. I see myself succeeding and being able to fulfill my dreams of becoming a pilot. While my passion for aviation helps to keep me interested and engaged, my strong work ethic and ability to stay organized gives me the means to succeed at pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Commercial Aviation. While I am still early in my journey and career of being a pilot, I foresee myself at the controls as the plane rockets down the runway, then leaps off the ground and begins gliding through the air. Each time I go down that runway I would get one step closer to the dream of becoming a professional pilot. I have started the first steps in accomplishing my goals by taking private pilot lessons. I currently have to drive over an hour each way for lessons. I completed my first solo flight earlier this year which continues to fuel my interest in flying. I have researched the variety of avenues to become an airline pilot. I am looking forward to becoming a CFI, CFII and MEI so I can share my passion with others who are interested in aviation. I live on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula which comes with many travel challenges. During my junior year this became all too apparent as my Calculus teacher suffered a life threatening medical event. She had to be airlifted to a speciality hospital in order to save her life. Had this not been an option, she would have not survived the event. I would like to return to my wonderful community as a Life Flight pilot so others do not have this opportunity taken away from them by not having pilots available.

I am writing to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to apply for your scholarship. My name is Gunner Elway Rogers, a dedicated student, athlete, and an aspiring Flight Instructor. I am seeking financial assistance to continue my education and follow my dream of becoming a Flight Instructor and Life Flight Pilot. I was raised in North Carolina. My parents made the decision to move across the country to get away from the gang and drug torn city we lived in. Some of my closest friends were killed due to gang violence. After we moved to Washington, we lived in a camper for nineteen months as we struggled to get back on our feet. I started to work a part time job to help the family out financially. After we got on our feet, I started looking at different flight schools. We were informed that besides the cost of tuition and housing, students will spend about $100,000 more for their flight fees. I knew that this would be very difficult for my family and I to cover this extra cost. I did some work and found out that if I get my private pilot license before I go to school it would save about $20,000. I was able to start private pilot lessons. By starting these lessons, I have begun the long journey of following my dreams. After high school I will go to the University of North Dakota, which is a nationally ranked and renowned school for aviation, this is where I will receive my certified flight instructor certificate and training to become a Life Flight Pilot. I knew if I wanted to become a student at University of North Dakota, that I would need to keep getting good grades. I had to work on my time management, since I was going to school, playing three sports, taking pilot lessons, and holding a job. I have managed to keep a 4.0 GPA, I am going to graduate Valedictorian of my class this summer. I feel that this is my biggest accomplishment, it was way harder than all my other awards I have received for playing sports. I have really enjoyed my new community here in Washington. With the little bit of time I still have available, I wanted to give back. I have also volunteered at some of the local organizations in town. I have helped with the food bank, tutoring other students at my high school, FCCLA, been apart of my youth group at church, LINK leader, chess club, student council, NHS, and clothing drives. It has been amazing to be able to give back to the community that has accepted me. This past year has been the hardest by far. I am averaging 25-30 hours a week at work, playing three sports, volunteering, going to school, and driving just over 2 hours round trip to work on my private pilots license. All of this has shown me that I can accomplish anything I set out to do. Even though I have a lot of work still ahead of me, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have set my goal and I am achieving it too. While there are countless hours of work to be put into achieving my dream, there is another factor, the price tag. This is the reason I was honored to be elected senior coordinator for the Quillayute Valley Senior Auction so I could help to set up a record-breaking year for the auction. I spent endless hours making lists and organizing who should approach which businesses. I spent hours keeping a perfect GPA, getting great test scores, and volunteering in my community. I participate in activities inside and outside of school. I was hoping my achievements would allow me to get the help I need to follow and achieve my dreams of becoming a Flight Instructor and Life Flight Pilot.