Going to a trade school will allow me to get to the career I want faster than traditional college. I want to be an aviation mechanic. A degree is not required for this job and the income potential is more than a lot of careers for people coming out of four-year universities. Since I have already enrolled in the program through my school district's vocational school, I will have my Airframe and Power Plant license in 17 months instead of 21 months. My parents always told me that I did not have to go to college, but I did need to have a plan for after high school. They wanted to make sure that I was able to work and support myself, no matter which job I chose. Not having the pressure that I see so many of my classmates have about going to college helped me explore all options about where I saw myself right after high school and well into my future. I also come from a working class, blue-collar family. My dad works on an assembly-line and my mom works from home for a doctor's office. My grandmother has worked at a grocery store for almost 30 years and is a part of their union. One of my grandfathers was in the Navy for 26 years and my other grandfather was a police officer for over 20 years. I believe that being raised by people who are doing the essential work to keep our community going is what has helped me the most in deciding on going to a trade school. Being able to make sure that I am a part of helping people feel comfortable and safe while flying gives me a sense of purpose. Getting my hands dirty to ensure that the skies are safe, that pilots can take-off and land without incident makes me eager to get my A & P licenses. Being able to go to a trade school for less than two years so that I can work in this field is a blessing and I cannot wait to enter this field.

I did not want to go to college. My parents always said they were not going to push us to go to college, but we did need to have a plan for our future. I originally wanted to go into engineering. I had already been accepted into our local vocational school's Engineering Tech program. However, the principal of the vocational school contacted my parents and said that I was one of eight students, city wide, out of the five high schools in my school district, to be selected to take part in a new program. It was for aviation maintenance through the Aviation Institute of Maintenance. I love math, I love helping my dad work on our family's vehicles, and it was something different that I had not considered. So, I immediately said yes. This was a new opportunity for me to explore a different career path. From the first day of class, I was hooked. I have learned about how planes and helicopters fly, the electrical components of aircrafts, and fuel lines. I know how to read the "blueprint" of an aircraft and how to properly do inspections. We use physics and a lot of algebra. Math has been my favorite subject since elementary school so I was excited to know I would be using math as a big part of my education in this class. I have even been able to show my parents my new skills during various open houses that the school has done over these two years. This year, I became a senior in high school and started the second year of the aviation maintenance program. I started to think about my future. My parents were asking where I see myself after graduation; what are my "adult" goals? I knew immediately it was in aviation maintenance. Not only is it a career field that pays well but there are so many different job opportunities around the world! I do not have to stay in my hometown or my state or even in the U.S. I can work as a civilian or go into a military contract. I can get a job working for Piedmont Airlines in Maryland or live in Japan for two years working a contract with Delta. Most people join the military to get that kind of exposure to the world. I will be getting my general certification at the end of this school year as part of being in this program. I will be enrolling in the school full-time in August. Once I graduate from the Aviation Institute of Maintenance, I will have my Airframe and Power Plant license. With this licensure, I will be able to work on any aircraft. However, I do not have to stay with aviation. I can be a roller-coaster mechanic at places like Busch Gardens or Disney World. I can work on medical equipment in doctor's offices. I can even work on spaceships at NASA. The possibilities are many. I cannot wait to earn my license so I can pursue my dreams and start travelling the world. Winning this scholarship will help me achieve these dreams. Thank you for taking the time to read my essay.

My mom and dad have always pushed me to be the best version of myself. Every morning before leaving for school my mom says "have a great day, do great things, and you'll achieve greatness!". She's been saying that since I was in kindergarten. Thats what her and my dad have tried to instill in me and my brother; Have a great day- don't worry about what my friends are doing. Focus on myself, focus on my classwork and homework. Do great things- stand up for the kids getting picked on, don't let anyone eat lunch alone, turn my work in on time, ask for help when I need it and offer help if someone is in need. Achieve greatness- When I put my mind to it, I can achieve anything! Honor roll, employee the month, Student of the Year at my votech program. Focusing on those words of encouragement, I have learned that I am very capable of achieving all my goals in pursuit of my certification as an Aviation Mechanic. To be honest, I initially applied, and was accepted, to the Engineering Tech program at our vocational school through my high school. It was a 2 year program for my junior and senior years. The summer before junior year, the principal called my mom and said due to my grades and attendance, I was one of eight students being asked to join a new program that was coming to vitech, for aviation maintenance. I accepted the invitation and have succeeded beyond anything I could have imagined for myself. The aviation maintenance program uses a lot of math, which is my favorite subject, as well as physics. I am learning about the different computer programs in aircrafts as well as the electrical components. Being in this program is allowing me to use computer and math skills as well as the engineering aspect that I had originally applied for. I was chosen as Student of the Year for my program. A large banner with my picture hangs in the hallway of my school. I was chosen as the Skills USA rep for my program this year. This is a well rounded program that has taught me about a career path that I never even considered and now can't wait to start a career in. My plan is to enroll at the same Aviation Institute of Maintenance once I graduate high school. Since I have done 2 years in their program through the vocational school, I will be graduating in 17 months with my Airframe & Power Plant license. And because I live in a large Navy town with a major airport, I am confident in my ability to obtain a great paying job that will take me around the world and allow me to pick up even more skills. This is what my parents taught me- believe in myself, follow my heart, dream big. Thanks to them, and my mom's encouraging words everyday before school, I know I will achieve greatness.

In my junior year of high school, I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, which is a type of autism. This was a relief to me and my parents. It was nice to have an explanation for why I felt out of place in social settings or why I would rather stay in my room, keeping to myself instead of going out with friends. I have always been a smart student. My mom and dad would make jokes about me being the next Sheldon Cooper. I can have one lesson on a subject and I would understand the material more easily than most of the other kids in my class. My dad had me help him with his algebra homework when he enrolled in the local community college; I was only 12 years old. Having autism has created obstacles for me because I did not want to go to college. I knew I wanted to be an engineer, but I did not want to go to college. Just the thought of more school made me extremely anxious and nervous. My parents tried to talk to me about decisions about my future, but I would feel overwhelmed just talking about it. This became a frustrating back-and-forth between us. After going to the Aviation Institute of Maintenance, I plan to help other kids who are struggling with social anxiety. I want to go back to the school and talk to students about making plans and setting achievable goals. I have learned that taking baby-steps has helped with my anxiety. I want to become a mentor to others who are struggling with finding their way to higher education. Thank you for taking the time to consider me for this scholarship. I know I can accomplish anything that I put my mind to as long as I believe in myself. Having this scholarship will help me get that much closer to realizing my dreams.

Reading Harry Potter with my mom is a favorite memory that I have growing up. Being able to see the characters in the movies meant so much to me. Creating the imaged in my mind as I was reading felt like magic. Picturing what the halls in Hogwarts looked like and imagining my version of Harry, Ron, and Hermione was a lot of fun. But, seeing it unfold on screen was something else! It felt more real because these characters are moving and talking on-screen, not just in my mind. Hearing the accents and seeing the way that the actors chose to play the roles of some of my favorite was fun for me. I felt more of an emotional connection when watching the movies. I was hurt reading about Dumbledore and Dobby dying but, watching it happen on the screen made me tear up. Of course, there are a lot of missing pieces from the movies that I wish were included, especially when it comes to Neville Longbottom and his importance to Harry and Voldemort’s conflict. People who have not read the books do not understand the significance of Harry asking Neville to kill Nagini at the end of the book/movie. The movie left out any mention of S.P.E.W and Hermione trying to free the house elves. Viewers do not get to see Tom Riddle after he graduated from Hogwarts, working at Borgin and Burkes and collecting the items he would eventually use as the horcruxes. I have found that knowing all of the missing pieces has made for interesting and fun “debates” amongst my family and friends. I have had long talks with people about the small as well as the large differences between the characters in the books and how they are played on-screen. I have argued about the proper pronunciation of certain words and spells. I mean, it is Levi-O-sa, right? And is the name pronounced Nag-in-ee or Na-Jin-ee. And my favorite debate? Was Snape a good guy or a bad guy? I still have not made up my mind about that one. But what has made it the most special is the bond it created in my family. My dad buys snacks every October and December for our Harry Potter marathons. My mom still pulls out the books and reads certain chapters to us as a reminder of the differences. This is especially funny because my brother and I are now teens in high school. Being able to talk about how we would have directed the films or choose different actors to play our favorite characters has been fun for us. Having these books and films has had a lasting impact on me that I will cherish, always.