As a recently graduated high school senior from Treasure Coast High School, my plans on going further with aviation include joining the women in aviation club at my admitted university- Lynn University in Boca Raton- and joining the Air Force ROTC Crosstown agreement with University of Miami. I am also attending the JROTC Flight Academy program this summer to get my private pilot’s license to start my adventure in aviation and I hope to continue it while at Lynn, and go further with it in the United States Air Force. I was introduced to the aviation industry first by a person on one of my commercial flights when I was about 11; he told me that I could start taking pilot lessons soon assuming that I was older than what I was. I thought it was cool but also kind of ridiculous at 11 years old so that dream almost fizzled out. More recently, while in JROTC, Colonel Golden reintroduced me to aviation through his Embry Riddle dual enrollment class, we explored the basics of aviation and then dove in more deeply with the aviation industry surrounding unmanned aircraft/ drones. He would also tell us stories of his aviation career when we had free time in the class or when the lesson lined up to a mission or lesson he learned. It was a way to keep us more engaged but it helped me see the beauty of aviation. Our JROTC unit also volunteer at the Stuart Airshow every year and seeing the different planes and pilots was also inspiring, especially seeing the female pilots kicking butt as a young female myself. Colonel was also the one that introduced me to both this scholarship as well as the JROTC Flight Academy scholarship. This scholarship would help me fund my education at Lynn University and plane rentals to help upkeep my private pilot license. Part of the reason I chose Lynn even though it is a private school, is that they have strong ties to the community. With over 400 community service hours, helping the community is a high priority for me, not just for the recognition, but because I enjoy helping other people and I like to see people being happy with the community that they are in. I have done countless volunteer events with JROTC for the Stuart Airshow, Veterans, and even just small events for the community like Adopt-A-Road and a beach clean up. I have also done beach cleanups with the Treasure Coast High School National Honor Society and have helped at food banks with both organizations. I was able to receive the greatest honor of top 10 in our National Honor Society Chapter because of my academic achievements and my community involvement. I was also in the top 10% of my graduating class of 821 meaning that I am academically excelling further than a lot of other people and I plan on continuing that when going to University.

Mental health can be a huge obstacle for anyone, regardless of skin tone and living arrangements. In my academic career, I tend to get burnt out very quickly, so I have moments throughout the school year where I heavily procrastinate or start to not do so well on assignments or tests. In my personal life, since I get burnt out so much academically, I tend to be more logical and serious than fun, which drives a lot of friendships away. I also tend to be a little less emotional because of exhaustion which takes a toll on my family relationships. My also room tends to get messy throughout the week and I do enough at school and elsewhere that I don’t have much time at home to spend on myself or spend time with the people I enjoy the company of.   To combat these negative feelings, I take the weekend to myself, but I also do small tasks throughout the week to help. Over the weekend, I do laundry and take my time cleaning one area at a time before I tackle another task. Whenever I have time, besides cleaning, I like to hang out with my friends and family, or volunteer in the community somewhere; helping people and seeing joy or appreciation on their faces makes me feel good about myself, like I am making a difference. Throughout the week and over the weekend, I make sure to eat well to try to maintain some energy production as to not make myself quite as exhausted. Cooking or baking is also an enjoyable activity for me, and it can help distract from the stresses of life temporarily.   Another way I combat the negatives of mental health is making unenjoyable tasks more of a game. For example, essays and schoolwork can be frustrating sometimes, but I have an app where I can focus on a task for a certain amount of time, and in return, I have a pet bird that will go on adventures and share fun facts from places around the world. The more tasks I accomplish, the more the bird grows and adventures. This is a good tool because you can set individual tasks up so that it reminds you, or you can set a timer to focus on whatever you need to. I also try to do different self-care activities to motivate myself; I have recently been doing yoga, and I tend to feel better after accomplishing a 10-minute session of it. Mantras or different sayings are also useful because they help me have more confidence in myself which helps keep me motivated throughout the day.