I have always wanted to fly for as long as I could remember but the day that I did my first discovery flight was the day that I started fighting to make my dreams become a reality. Before that, it felt like my dreams were just not possible. I didn’t even know where to begin and even if I did, I didn’t know if I would even be able to afford it. On October 8th, 2019, my parents woke me up and told me they had a surprise for me. I wasn’t sure of what to expect but I definitely didn’t expect them to drop me off at a flight school in Kenai for my first discovery flight. Since then, I have gotten a taste of flight and wanted more. From that day on for the next three years, I have saved every penny that I have made to go towards flight training. On May 4th, 2022, I began my flight training and flew almost daily with more and more excitement every flight. Having the privilege to follow my passion has kept me driven and gave me a sense of fulfillment that I wish to continue and share with others. Safety is absolutely the number one priority for every flight and it all starts with each preflight. I like to take a moment to plan out my trips and make sure that everything is working as it should. Throughout every situation, I plan to build and maintain trust with myself and others by prioritizing safety. Such as mitigating risks through a risk analysis process since personal minimums aren’t exactly one-size-fits-all. For instance, when you set a personal minimum based on cloud coverage of 1,000 feet in a familiar environment it’s going to be different in an unfamiliar environment or if there are obstructions such as mountains. I also know that weather is constantly changing and I like to make a habit of getting weather updates with flight service stations, especially on longer flights that cover considerable distances. Throughout high school, my best friend Mackenzie and I have had this dream where she would become a chef and I would become a pilot and we would travel the world. I would fly us to places and she would be the one to cook for us. We would dream about all these possibilities while spending time with each other and doing things like building shelters and playing outside. She regrettably passed away at the end of September 2020. Throughout all of my aviation milestones, part of me wishes that she were still here to share these joyous moments. I still fight for our dream to live on and continue to keep her in my heart through it all. Growing up, I have always had an encouraging mom who without fail has supported my dreams and told me that I could do anything I set my mind to. Although we have faced many obstacles throughout life, I continue to believe in myself and have this determination to follow my passion of flying. Determination and perseverance are skills that I believe continue to drive me toward a successful aviation career. I am working towards getting my CFI ratings so that I can intentionally support and share my passion for aviation with people interested in flying. In the meantime, I enjoy taking people out sightseeing or on fun trips to introduce flying to friends and family. I love sharing my passion with others and hope to continue to inspire people throughout my career. I have brought someone flying that didn’t have much experience with aviation. He was able to get out of his comfort zone and ended up liking aviation because of it. Now he is pursuing aviation and has done his first solo flight this summer. I have also taken this young woman out flying and have seen how comfortable she was in the air and have asked her if she has ever considered flying because of the potential I saw in her. I have seen something spark in her and she’s starting her first ground school and continues to seek flying. It is such a warm feeling seeing people get inspired by the thing that I am passionate about. For the past five years, I have done everything I could for my aviation career. I have even been willing to relocate just to be able to work towards my career and have better opportunities to attend more reputable flight schools and to stay in the aviation community. As a young native Alaskan woman, I believe that all my hard work will inspire those around me to want to work hard for their goals even when it seems impossible. My dream is to go back to my hometown and fly for people in western Alaska. I'm hoping that this scholarship will improve my chances of getting where I aspire to be regardless of the path that it takes me. Aviation is the heart of rural Alaska, bringing people and communities together. Since aviation plays a big role in Alaska I was fortunate enough to get exposed to aviation at an early age. I remember the excitement and wonder I felt every time we took off as the world below got smaller and smaller. There was always an abundance of pilots encouraging me to follow my dreams and to put in some hard work. Traveling frequently by plane throughout my life has also played a huge role in pursuing an aviation career, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to do so. I appreciate the community that we have built together in aviation and the support and encouragement that is shared. I hope to be able to reach my goals and dreams and give back to the community that has always been there to support me getting there.