Applying for this scholarship is proof that I am already on the right path. Growing up in East Oakland with parents who struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues, I never imagined that college would be part of my future. However, my foster parents changed that for me and my siblings. They made sure we would not become another statistic. I currently have 2 sisters already in four year colleges, and I will be the 3rd. They gave us the stability, but also exposed us to things, that made us believe we could not only go to college but have careers. When my siblings and I first came to live with my foster parents, we had never even been outside of Oakland. During our first Christmas together, they took us to Houston to visit my foster mom's family. It was the first time any of us had ever flown on an airplane. Although I was nervous, the moment the plane took off and I looked out the window at the clouds, something changed inside me. Right then and there, I knew that the sky was where I wanted to be. When we returned home, I told my foster mom that I wanted to become a flight attendant. She smiled and said, "Why aim there when you can fly the plane?" Those simple words changed the direction of my life. After that conversation, I began researching aviation schools and learning everything I could about becoming a pilot. I applied to several of the nation's top aviation programs and was accepted into all of them, including the number one aviation school in the United States, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I have already completed Ground School and am currently preparing to take my flight examination. I chose to attend Texas Southern University because it is an FAA-approved Aviation Training Program (ATP) school. This allows me to earn my bachelor's degree in Aviation while completing my required flight hours at the same time. The university also has partnerships with major commercial airlines, including Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, providing valuable internship and career opportunities. After graduation, I plan to continue building my required flight hours while interning with a commercial airline. Once I have completed the required hours and earned my certifications, I will apply for positions as a commercial airline pilot. Achieving this dream will not only fulfill a lifelong passion but also allow me to inspire other foster youth to believe that their circumstances do not define their future. This scholarship would help pay for both my education and my flight training, which must be paid for separately and can be very expensive. Receiving this support would reduce my financial burden and allow me to focus on my education and training as I work toward becoming a commercial airline pilot.