My first word was not "Airplane", but it might as well have been. I was fascinated by buses and airplanes as a tiny human. One of my first memories is watching and identifying planes as they flew over my head in our backyard to land in our nearby Dekalb Peachtree Airport. Plane spotting was one of my favorite pastimes then and still is to this day. In fact my top choice for family game time is a modified version of the “Guess Who?” game that is entirely about aircrafts. My whole family at this point has become quite good at identifying all sorts of aircraft. By the time I was old enough to go to aviation summer camp and actually fly a Piper, I knew my career path. My plan is to work hard at college and become a commercial airline captain. The training process for pilots can be demanding and stressful; however, I have already learned how to balance training with studying, working, and having a great friend group. As proof, as soon as I turned 17, I achieved my private pilot’s license and ability to fly solo while still participating in marching band, taking college courses, and volunteering over 100 hours as technical lead (Techbadge) at my local auditorium. This summer, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University accepted my early application into the Aeronautical Science program. This incredibly exciting acceptance is the critical next step in achieving my dreams. However, by going to school in person and outside Georgia I lose the ability to use the Hope and Zell Miller scholarships I worked so hard to obtain. I do have a college fund that my parents have been working hard to accumulate, but also I plan to become a flight instructor to mentor others as well and increase flight time while doing it. The Fasiang Future of Flight Scholarship would also help me realize my ultimate career goal on an accelerated path provided at Embry-Riddle by helping to make it financially feasible for me to go to Embry-Riddle and complete my Instrument rating, FA 321 Commercial Pilot ASEL, FA 323 Commercial Pilot AMEL Add-On, and FA 460 Multi-Engine Instructor rating at a part 141 flight school. Over the next year I will achieve my instrument training and obtain a paid summer internship while continuing my flight training through the summer. Using my AP and dual enrollment work I already have already met some of the general education requirements and plane to successfully complete the rest in my first year of school. When I am financially able (and have enough flight hours) I am excited to increase my rating status so I can volunteer to do Angel Flight, an organization helping to connect people in need to their needed medical care. Pilots need a minimum of 250 hours of total logged flight time to volunteer their time (and airplane) to volunteer, so I need around 170 more hours! I first learned about Angel Flight from my grandfather who volunteered for the organization and I'm excited to follow in his footsteps doing that. Pilots have unique opportunities to have a positive impact on other from disaster relief efforts to medevac services and supporting remote communities. I plan to volunteer my skills and time for non-profit organizations so I can make a significant difference in people’s lives. Combining flying and volunteering will position me not only to be the best pilot I can be, but also to mentor and support the next generation of pilots exploring the air or stars.

Lights flare on a large wooden stage, performers singing and dancing on tables. The sound of the orchestral pit blares from the back of the stage while the stunt people run and flip past the other actors. The lights flash and the final note blasts as the actors throw their fists in the air screaming "Newsies!" and the curtains slam closed. Watching from my vantage point in the lighting booth, I can only think, “That was awesome”. The first time I attended a musical at my high school, I noticed shadows running up and down the aisles of the auditorium and scurrying across the walkways above the seats. Their job looked amazingly complicated, and I loved it! Therefore, the first activity I wanted to join was theater, but not on stage. I specifically wanted to be a hard-working shadow. There was one problem though, the Technical Department was extremely selective with who they choose. After a series of student-led interviews, I met with the sponsor of the program, Mrs. Lirette, the Chorus and Drama teacher. She was the one who had the final say over my placement. After meeting with her, she saw my love for solving problems and my detail-oriented way of observing and decided that I would join the lighting team. I was in! The show that year went amazingly. From high in the rafters of the auditorium, I stood on the catwalk enveloped in the warm musty smell of the industrial insulation, following cues and lighting the performers. Exactly where I wanted to be. However unbeknownst to me, a lowly first year, later that school year the entire rest of the lighting team was removed from the theater program because of a disagreement with their manager. I returned the next year to be the only lighting team member left with a new team lead. Mrs. Lirette had seen something in how I worked with the team the year prior and with the other teams outside of the technical sphere. She made sure that when the rest of lighting were involved in a controversy and left, I remained. Her trust changed my life. Her trust in me made me eager to learn more and succeed. My first challenge? Organization of my time. Between school, work, and flight school, my life was so busy I didn’t have time to stop and think. I was able to use what I learned from fast-paced work in lighting and plan out what I needed to do and when. From flight timing to tech commitments to dual enrollment classes at nearby college I planned it all out. I then set to work utilizing trial and error to figure out what works for me. I stumbled many times, but I corrected the issues and this method suddenly found me on top of my work and still having fun. I jumped from a High B’s and A’s student to an all-A’s student. The confusing symbols and formulas of physics unfurled before me into legible text as I marched the field for marching band. I was able to solving long math worksheets before theater started each evening. Mrs. Lirette's trust in me allowed me to trust myself. To explore and grow my leadership skills and flex my natural curiosity. The confidence that was placed in me makes me want to share that same feeling with others who just need a chance to prove themselves and to always improve myself and my abilities. I now have the confidence to take on new challenges in my academic career and my daily life.

Ready for Takeoff...Literally Opening scene: A small boy with round cheeks, autumn-colored leaf hair, and dark-brown chocolate eyes points with glee at the variety of airplanes flying over his backyard to land at a local airport. The loud noises of the jet engines and propellers do not bother him as he names each one as they fly by. "Jet!!", "Piper!", "Bi-plane", and "Mooney" he yells to the sky excitedly. His mom watches through the window where she is finishing up the decoration of his requested birthday cake: A Boeing 747 airplane. She is smiling at this love of these airplanes. Little does the small future pilot know, his surprise birthday party with his small friends is in two hours and will be held at the colorful playground nestled in the middle of the airport at which all these aircraft are landing. Towering over the playground is the air traffic control tower that broadcasts its chatter directly into the playground as the aircraft zoom in and out of the airport. She'll let him stay after the party just to watch the planes land and learn more about the traffic patterns from the traffic controller chatter. <fast forward 13 years> The same mom, a little older, a little tired watches with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes as the teenage version of that same little boy takes off into the sunrise for his first solo flight. He is taking off from the same airport that he had his birthday party at 13 years ago. He soars into the air alone with headphones on and an even bigger smile upon his face. Looking at the cockpit radar he name each aircraft as they fly by to land at the airports around him "Lear Jet!!", "Piper M350!", "Restored WWII era Bi-plane", and "Mooney M20". The 17 year old pilot still has a baby face, sparkling dark chocolate brown eyes, and a love for airplanes. In fact he has been accepted to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to become a pilot and gain his obtain the next levels of certification: Instrument rating, FA 321 Commercial Pilot ASEL, FA 323 Commercial Pilot AMEL Add-On, and FA 460 Multi-Engine Instructor rating the world renowned part 141 flight school. He's spent years balancing flight training on the ground and in the air, work at Target and as a lifeguard, getting all A's in school, working hard at his dual enrollment college classes, learning the trumpet, joining marching band, volunteering for a genetic counseling scholarship fund, and being the technical theater lead managed the sound and lighting teams at high school. He began every weekend ground school and flying once month at age 13 years. His focus and joy in learning the technical side of flying was clear in this thoughts as you picture so many of his classmates dropping out of flight training as other things became their priority. His norm is multi-tasking and succeeding. His goal is becoming a commercial pilot. From his thoughts you can tell that his next "fast forward" scene will be him flying commercial airliners at Delta as a captain. His private pilot license was just one step on the path to achieving his goal.