Similar to Kyle, my love of aviation began at a young age. I have been fascinated with planes since I was a little girl, and I've wanted to be a pilot for as long as I can remember. I grew up fifteen miles south of the largest airshow in the world in Oshkosh, WI, and that is what sparked my love of aviation from a young age. Seeing all the aircraft fly over my house on their way to AirVenture and watching the airshow performers every summer made me realize there was nothing else I wanted to do. I took advantage of every opportunity I could growing up to get up in the air, and I officially started taking flight lessons when I was sixteen. I successfully passed my check ride and obtained my private pilot license this past September, less than two months after my seventeenth birthday. I am a high honor roll student and a three-sport athlete as well, so I'm continuing to build my flight hours as my schedule and the weather allows - I currently have 110 flight hours logged. Flying is contagious! I love the excitement I get from taking off, and I love the sense of accomplishment I feel upon a successful landing. I feel at home when I'm up in the airplane, and I can't imagine doing anything else as a career. I plan to attend Fox Valley Technical College in Oshkosh, WI, this fall for their Aeronautics-Professional Pilot Training program. There, I will complete my instrument, multi-engine, commercial and flight instructor ratings. My career goal is to become a corporate or commercial airline pilot, but I am leaning towards the corporate aviation path. I did not grow up in an aviation family, but my neighbor is a corporate pilot, and he has been a huge source of inspiration for me in my aviation journey and has been a great role model and mentor. I have worked as a line technician at my local airport for the last year and a half, so that has also given me valuable airport operations experience and the opportunity to network with a wide variety of pilots, including doing some corporate aviation job shadows. I am a member of Key Club at school, which has provided me the opportunity to volunteer for numerous community activities including distributing Christmas gifts for the Salvation Army Angel Tree program, packing meals for Feed My Starving Children and making blankets for Project Linus. I have also volunteered for numerous activities in my school district including reading to local kindergarten students, running scoreboard at youth basketball tournaments and assisting the varsity basketball and softball coaches with running skills camps for youth girls in our district. My proudest accomplishment has been becoming a volunteer pilot for the EAA Young Eagles program, which introduces youth to aviation by providing them with a free plane ride. I volunteered for my first rally two weeks after getting my pilot license, and I've been blessed to be able to take four youth up on their first flight already. I will be volunteering for my next rally this coming June. I took my own first Young Eagles flight just four years earlier, so it means a lot to be able to give back to this program and share my passion for aviation with other kids. I would be honored to receive this scholarship in Kyle's memory, because it will allow me to continue working towards achieving my childhood dream of becoming a professional pilot while also sharing my passion for aviation with others. Thank you for your consideration!

I am interested in pursuing an aviation degree because I'm passionate about aviation, and I really can't imagine myself doing anything else! I grew up 15 miles south of the EAA grounds in Oshkosh, WI and being able to attend AirVenture every summer and watch the airshow performers really sparked my love of aviation. I remember the first time I saw the Thunderbirds perform at EAA in 2014 - that was the moment I knew I wanted to be a pilot! I have been pursuing my dream ever since - from going up on my first Young Eagles flight, to taking T-6 Texan & Huey helicopter rides at AirVenture, to taking multiple aerobatic flights - I have taken advantage of every opportunity I can to fly. I just love being able to see the world from a different point of view. A huge goal of mine was to get my private pilot license when I turned seventeen. I am proud to say that I passed my check ride and got my private pilot license on September 14th, 2023, less than two months after my 17th birthday! I accomplished this while being a high honor roll student, an active member of Key Club and an accomplished three-sport athlete at my school. Some of the volunteer activities I have participated in through Key Club include reading to local kindergartners, unloading trees at a local Christmas tree lot, sorting and distributing gifts for the Salvation Army Christmas Angel Tree project, packing meals for Feed My Starving Children and making blankets for Project Linus. I have also assisted my basketball and softball coaches with running youth skills camps. Outside of school, I am involved in many aviation-related activities. I work part-time at the Fond du Lac Skyport as an aviation line technician. I attended the GirlVenture camp at EAA in 2021 and 2022. I am a student member of AOPA and Women in Aviation International. I am an active member of EAA Chapter 572, where I assist in finding and arranging speakers for our monthly chapter meetings. I was also the recipient of the chapter's Ray Aviation scholarship last year, which helped fund my private pilot training. My proudest moment so far has been becoming a volunteer Young Eagle pilot. I had the opportunity to take four youth up on their first flight during my chapter's Young Eagle rally on September 30th, 2023. This was a full-circle moment for me as I had taken my first Young Eagles flight just four years prior. It was such an honor to be able to give back to the aviation community and share my passion for aviation with other young people, and I can't wait to volunteer at future rallies. After high school, I plan to attend Fox Valley Technical College in Oshkosh, WI for their Professional Pilot Associate Degree program. I would like to work as a corporate or charter pilot, but I am open to any path as I continue learn, grow and make connections in the industry. Regardless of my path, I want to continue sharing my passion for aviation with young people, especially young females, and I ultimately hope that I can be a source of inspiration and encouragement to them. I feel that I have already proven my dedication to aviation, and this scholarship would be a huge help in allowing me to continue pursuing my dreams of becoming a professional pilot. I feel that I have a lot in common with Joseph, and it would truly be an honor to receive this scholarship in his memory.