I believe Leonardo da Vinci said it best, "once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." Ever since I was a child, I was captivated by any aircraft I could see. My first time on an aircraft was when I was nine years old and I was absolutely terrified. It was a flight across the globe from the United States to England. Although terrified, the flight left me with a sense of awe and wonder. Sitting in the window seat, I gazed out into the distance, watching as we passed through the clouds, as the sun set, marveling at the earth below. That very moment of experiencing something so breathtaking planted the seeds of passion for aviation. That passion would continue into ambition. Ambition that led down the path of wanting to become a pilot for the United States Air Force. I watched countless aviation, aircraft documentaries, movies, played with remote control aircraft, and would plane watch for hours on end. My father served in the United States Air Force, as a C-130 and CV-22 enlisted aircrew. Growing up on Air Force military bases, I was infatuated with all thing's aviation and to this day I still enjoy aviation museums. My grandfather served in the United States Air Force as an enlisted aircrew as well. My brother would also continue on to become a commercial pilot. During his training, I took every opportunity I could to be in the air with him. I always enjoyed marveling at God's creation from above. Flying was practically in my blood. My sophomore year of college I took my first flight lesson, and I instantly fell in love. My mind that was constantly running and filled with noise was suddenly quieted by the peace of flying. Even though my instructor remained beside me my mind had finally known a moment of silence. Around the same time in 2020, my best friend, Kevin began his aviation career. Kevin and I had always been best friends since High School, but we grew especially close once he began training, because we were the only ones within our friend group who truly understood what it meant to fly. Later that year, I would eventually be selected by the United States Air Force to become a pilot, while in AFROTC. Kevin and I would speak daily, and he would fill me in on all of his flights, and we would talk for hours about flying, all the while playing our aviation video games on XBOX. My favorite flying memory was with Kevin. In the summer of 2023, while building hours for his commercial pilot rating, Kevin flew from Denver, Colorado, to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, in a single engine Archer aircraft. Then, he picked me up and we flew all of the way back to Denver, where I spent time with him and his family. I can't even begin to talk about all of the great memories made on that trip without running out of space to type. Nonetheless, I had a setback that prevented me from becoming the USAF pilot I had always dreamed of, but I didn't let that stop me. A few years later, I began my pursuit to fly as a Naval Aircrewman on the P-8 Poseidon, as an Acoustic Operator. I now serve in the United States Navy on Active Duty, where I am blessed to have the opportunity to fly around the world, all the while hunting and deterring adversary submarine forces.