My academic and career goals in the field of engineering are to have a complete understanding of my field and the ability to grow and meet an ever-evolving career. I have been in engineering classes since 8th grade and am pursuing these goals to become a military pilot for the United States Air Force. My wish is to become an aerospace engineer to fully understand each aspect of the planes I fly. As a pilot, you can easily get by only knowing rudimentary physics and some parts of your plane; I desire to go above and beyond to have a mastery of the physics of flight as well as an exhaustive understanding of the intricacies of planes. I plan on achieving this by studying extensively in aerospace engineering in college and keeping up-to-date with engineering in the future. One of my goals is to one day be able to construct my own kit plane and have full confidence in that plane. I feel it would demonstrate the full range of my abilities as an engineer and put my aeronautical and mechanical knowledge to the test. The air force has been one of the biggest influences on my career choice. From the ability to make a 172-foot wingspan B-2 Stealth Bomber appear the size of a bird on radar, to the fleet of multi-ton fighters that scream through the air at unmatched speed; aerospace has long since fascinated me. I would love to one day be on a team that develops the next-gen fighter, bomber, or cargo plane. Another aspect of the air force that has encouraged my desire to be an engineer is the scholarships and bonuses the military offers engineering majors. As a child living with my single mother, the ability for college to be covered is a dream. The military treats its pilots well and I can’t wait to serve my country. I would be able to give my children a good life and live comfortably myself. My papa, Douglas Miller, retired as a colonel in the air force and has influenced my desire to join the air force as an engineer to follow in his footsteps. On a different note, an influence in school has been my STEM classes. I’ve had the opportunity in high school to take a pathway that goes in depth in general engineering and has given me hands-on experience in what it is like. We have made everything from Rube Goldberg machines to aerial cameras and water balloon launchers. In making these, we went through the engineering process and used metrics like the design matrix to make it similar to what it’s like in the workforce. The taste of engineering these classes have left me with leaves me wanting even more. To me, there is nothing more satisfying than creating your own solution to real-world problems with your own hands. We explored many of the different types of engineering over the years but the one that really stuck out to me was aerospace. While there is certainly something to be said about seeing your balsa wood tower survive a simulated earthquake or the tiny light green that flicks on after a successful solder, to me, nothing can beat the satisfaction of watching with pride as your hand-made glider or balloon floats majestically down to earth.

My academic and career goals in the field of engineering are to have a complete understanding of my field and the ability to grow and meet an ever-evolving career. I have been in engineering classes since 8th grade and am pursuing these goals to become a military pilot for the United States Air Force. My wish is to become an aerospace engineer to fully understand each aspect of the planes I fly. As a pilot, you can easily get by only knowing rudimentary physics and some parts of your plane; I desire to go above and beyond to have a mastery of the physics of flight as well as an exhaustive understanding of the intricacies of planes. On a different note, an influence in school has been my STEM classes. I’ve had the opportunity in high school to take a pathway that goes in depth in general engineering and has given me hands-on experience in what it is like. I plan on achieving this by studying extensively in aerospace engineering in college and keeping up-to-date with engineering in the future. One of my goals is to one day be able to construct my own kit plane and have full confidence in that plane. I feel it would demonstrate the full range of my abilities as an engineer and put my aeronautical and mechanical knowledge to the test.

Many of my friends spent the summer before senior year going to the lake or relaxing at the pool. I spent my summer flying planes. The experience has given me a better understanding of myself and allowed me to develop a skill set that not many people have the opportunity to obtain. Being a pilot has taught me the importance of patience, discipline, and optimism. Very recently I had the opportunity to put these values into practice. It was a hot summer Saturday afternoon. After methodically formulating my patchy and impromptu flight plan, I lamentably dragged myself into the flight school with a twinge of anxiety. I waited for my instructor, Isaac, to finish up his conversation with a Southwest Airlines pilot, and we made our way into a room to talk about the day’s flight. I presented my impetuous flight plan. He gave me a look of dissatisfaction, scrapped my inadequate plan, and wasted no time in giving me a blank, untarnished one. He asked me to tell him the first step of a flight plan. Annoyed, I replied, “Find where you’re gonna fly to.” Content with my answer, he moved on to the second step, then the third, fourth, and continued until we had a model flight plan a mere two hours later. Mentally fried, we were both eager to fly the plane and see the fruit of our labor. We made our way over to the plane and started the preflight checklist; examining each aspect of the plane before we could leave took a painstakingly long time, but I was just happy to not be making a flight plan. I thanked God we didn't have to refuel and let the airport know that we were heading to the runway. The plane labored to get off the ground in the 95°, heat but we eventually made our way up and out of the pattern. I turned the plane to the correct heading and felt the tepid air blow from my open window. Leaving Boerne’s airspace, I recited the call to San Antonio air traffic control in my head and readied myself to write what they replied. I nailed my call and after a fist bump from Isaac, we were cruising to our destination. About ten minutes later, we saw a few rain clouds to the north, blowing menacingly in our direction. Isaac and I weighed our options and, sad to say, decided the wisest thing would be to turn back towards Boerne. After letting ATC know there was some unfavorable weather, we headed back bummed out. Not wanting the flight to be a complete waste of time, Isaac suggested we do a few practice landings. My first landing was not bad. My next few kept getting better and better until we ended the flight with the paragon of landings. I was satisfied with myself and ended up shutting down the plane, not entirely disappointed. I thought to myself that all the obstacles and setbacks that we dealt with makes good pilots. Creating a whole new flight plan taught me to do things with care and thought the first time around; choosing to turn back towards Boerne to avoid a possible complication with the weather taught me to act with discipline in unfortunate situations. And lastly, being content with getting in some good landings and just being grateful to fly at all taught me to have optimism when things don’t go my way. More than anything, the flight taught me that when life blows you thunderstorms, make a new flight plan.