There exists a place higher than mountain peaks, more vast than our oceans, that offers limitless opportunities. This is the freedom that is experienced in the skies. I want to take you there. Throughout my childhood, flying has allowed me to explore our world, and my passion for flying on planes grew. I dream of becoming a pilot, traveling the world, opening it to all, further connecting it, and advancing our planet towards the future. When I was eight, on a family trip to Copenhagen, I was invited by a flight attendant to see an Airbus flight deck. I became mesmerized by what I saw. The throttle levers resting on a central console, ready to accelerate the plane into the sky. All the overhead buttons lit up as the crew prepared for departure, and the side sticks next to the pilots allowed us to take off and fly home. What I saw sparked my passion for flying and aviation. While living in England, my father often traveled through Manchester Airport, flying to many different countries. I always went to pick him up, and sometimes I had the opportunity to visit the runway museum, where I could see a Concorde that used to race across the Atlantic like a military jet and watch newer planes land on the nearby runway. The museum also featured many retired aircraft where I could step into an ancient flight deck. In 2017, when I was twelve, we went fact-finding in America to see if it would be an ideal place for us to live. During the journey back, I was fortunate to travel on a Boeing 747, the Queen of the skies. Its four engines intrigued me as I boarded the extraordinary jet. Soon its engines roared to life as we hurtled down the runway heading for England. The trip ignited the spark I had years before. Many of my favorite childhood memories are of traveling and flying on planes. In August 2022, I spent a week at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, where I enrolled in a summer flight program. Over the week, I gained over five flight hours and landed ten times. Every time I entered the aircraft and took control, it felt normal, like I was supposed to be there flying. When I turned onto final approach, I knew I wanted to fly because I was ecstatic. My career goal is becoming an airline pilot traveling the world providing an essential service further connection our world. In college I would like to double major in aviation flight and aviation management to cement myself in the industry. The last few years of my life have been some of the best. I have grown as an individual, now visualizing my career goal of becoming an international pilot; with the opportunity to travel and explore the diversity of our planet. Many people have helped me along my journey, such as my aerospace teacher, that helped ignite the spark I had years before. My entire life has been surrounded by planes and travel, and when I entered that Airbus flight deck years ago, I felt the feeling of home and belonging. When I landed my first plane, I was elated with emotion; because flying was right for me. Becoming a pilot isn’t just a dream or a desire for me; it’s a goal because I truly believe I belong in the skies.

Since I was a young child, I was obsessed with travel and planes. Now my dream is to become a pilot and spend my life flying around the world, providing an essential service to others. During the past few years, my love and desire to become a pilot has grown because of interacting with the community. Attending events and volunteering at them has shaped my goal of becoming a pilot and has made me the person I am today. In the state of West Virginia, the aviation industry is rapidly growing, new flights are arriving, and airport terminals are being built throughout the state. In my hometown, the local airport has received unprecedented growth over and for the next few years. With new and local development, the community has come together on multiple occasions to host aviation programs to educate and inspire people to join the evolving and expanding industry. I have volunteered at two events in the community, once at Girls in aviation day in 2022, where I helped my aerospace instructor and fellow students operate and display first-person view drones. The other time was at the second Carl Hopkins aviation expo; I had gone the year before, and the event helped me realize what I wanted to do and shaped how I plan to pursue higher education. I wanted to help and reach other people, who were on the verge of joining the industry, so I helped advertise and showcase the aerospace program at the local high school, that I attend. These events within my community helped me make my career choice and helped me finalize how I wanted to reach my dreams. I was very privileged to share my love of aviation with those around me in the community. I have been very fortunate and had the opportunity to travel to Charleston and represent my school and the aerospace program I am in on two occasions. The first time was in 2022 when I attended Career and technical education day at the State Capitol building, where I and my friends ran a stand promoting aerospace education and its importance. During the visit, I met the then-current superintendent of schools, many state legislators, and even the governor Jim Justice. On the second visit, the group showcased the program to an aviation-based crowd and was successful in spreading awareness about increasing aerospace education in schools. Attending these education events at the Capitol was done voluntarily and gave me a great opportunity to meet with high-ranking state officials and spread my love of aviation. Over my high school years volunteering within the aviation community helped shape my career choice and how I want to get the job of my dreams. Talking with individuals within the local aviation industry helped me realize what I wanted out of college and the basic requirements of a good aviation program. I will forever be grateful for all the help I have received over the years and the experiences I have had while volunteering because being part of the industry made me realize where I want to be in the industry.

Throughout my childhood, I had always been obsessed with flying and aviation, and over time the sky became my calling place, and I dream of becoming a pilot traveling across the globe. When I was eight, on a family trip to Copenhagen, I was invited by a flight attendant to see an Airbus flight deck. I became mesmerized by what I saw. The throttle levers resting on a central console, ready to accelerate the plane into the sky. All the overhead buttons lit up as the crew prepared for departure, and the side sticks next to the pilots allowed us to take off and fly home. What I saw sparked my passion for flying and aviation. While living in England, my father often traveled through Manchester Airport, flying to various countries. I always went to pick him up, and sometimes I had the opportunity to visit the runway museum, where I could see a Concorde that used to race across the Atlantic like a military jet and watch newer planes land on the nearby runway. The museum also featured many retired aircraft where I could step into an ancient flight deck. In 2017, when I was twelve, we went fact-finding in America to see if it would be an ideal place for us to live. During the journey back, I was fortunate to travel on a Boeing 747, the Queen of the skies. Its four engines intrigued me as I boarded the extraordinary jet. Soon its engines roared to life as we hurtled down the runway heading for England. The trip ignited the spark I had years before. Many of my favorite childhood memories are of traveling and flying on planes. Now, at the end of my senior year, I decided to attend Ohio University to pursue a degree in aviation flight and potentially double major in aviation management if I can financially do it. Once I graduate from college, I plan to become an airline pilot and fly across the country once I build up enough hours. If I double major, I will have backup options to keep me in aviation since I am more passionate about the aerospace industry than any other. During my high school years, I have been an active member of the local community. I am a National Honors Society member and have completed the required projects to graduate with honors; projects included volunteering at the local humane society, playing bingo at a care home, packing boxes for Operation Christmas Child, and much more. In addition, I am a member of key club, I was once responsible for managing a parking lot and lining cars up for my school's homecoming parade. In the region where I live, there has been a boom in the aviation industry, and many communities event has occurred; for example, I volunteered at a Girls in Aviation event where I assisted with showcasing first-person view drone flights. I have represented my school twice at the West Virginia capitol building, promoting aviation education and meeting with state legislators and even the governor. Becoming a pilot is no longer a dream, but a reality as I move closer to exploring the skies of the globe. Aviation has always been a significant element of my life, and once I attend college, I will start living my dream of being a pilot traveling across the world.

The dream version of my future self is someone who cares and supports their community and spreads joy and passions to all bringing happiness in lonely dark moments.

Deep in Appalachia exists a state like no other, where the rivers run down through tree-covered mountains on their journey toward the ocean. A state that allowed the east coast too to boom and becomes the area it is today, where opportunities are substantial. The people of the state are kind and generous despite their reputation outside the state. This State is West Virginia, a state I now call home. In 2017 the chance to move from England to West Virginia arose, and in 2018, my family made the trip and moved our life to West Virginia. Throughout my childhood, I traveled across the world to four continents, and West Virginia is incomparable to places I had visited prior. After almost five years in West Virginia, the outside perception of the state is very different from the actual reality of life in the state. I have been fortunate to live in Bridgeport since I moved, and going to school there has given me more opportunities than I had previously in England. Next year I plan to leave the state and attend college at Ohio University, where I will pursue a degree in aviation flight and work towards becoming a pilot. Leaving West Virginia next year is unfortunate, but living in the state has forever changed me for the better. Over the last few years, West Virginia has experienced many hardships, such as poverty, pollution, drug addiction, obesity, and more. Many of these issues can be seen across the United States but are worse in West Virginia due to coal mines shutting down and companies leaving a jobless state behind. Driving through a small town in the area shows the impact because most have tarps on roofs as windows and boarded up to keep the cold out to try to make it through winter. Being a West Virginian is tough because most know people affected by drugs, and some have lost family members to the epidemic. I work for a retail store and on a summers day I was alerted that a man was sitting on the floor in the men's bathrooms motionless. After a health emergency was declared and law enforcement and medics showed up, we found out he had overdosed, and with a quick hit of Narcan, he was back. The drug epidemic affects every corner of the state, no matter how “nice” an area seems. Living in West Virginia is not just about being a state resident but about having a friendly personality in which you treat others with respect. In addition to supporting your community and doing what you can to benefit those in need. But most importantly, spending time with family and enjoying all the activities within the state. Over the last five years, the mountains have built me, and the rivers forged my personality. As I move on in life, I won't forget the days of being in West Virginia.

The freedom of flight has always fascinated me, and every time I step aboard an aircraft and accelerate into the endless blue skies, I feel elated. I dream of becoming a pilot navigating the airways of our world. My passion for aviation started when I was a child going to the airport to pick up my dad while watching the planes land and take off to destinations across the globe. Flying has allowed me to immigrate to the United States, see my family down in Australia, and given my father a job. In 2023, I decided to make my dream a reality by enrolling in one of the many college pilot courses I got accepted to. The course ahead of me presents many challenging obstacles that I will overcome some of these are specific to me, and some are ones everyone must go through as high school ends and college starts. I will overcome the obstacles I face because there is a way to do something that once seemed impossible. For example, in my rigorous Senior year schedule, many people doubted me, thinking I would collapse and drop classes. However, I am passing and succeeding and am taking six advanced placement exams this May. Once I set a goal, I strive to work efficiently and proactively produce a quality result. In March 2022, I was invited to attend the West Virginia capitol building with my aerospace class to showcase our program to legislators. Due to my hard work with presentation boards and setting up a flight simulator, the event was a success. The biggest obstacle I have faced was immigrating to the United States, leaving my home and entering the unknown, and starting a new life. Five years on, my life has completely changed, and the skills I learned from immigrating will benefit me in the future. During my life, I have faced many arduous and intimidating challenges and have overcome them through hard work and learning what it takes to succeed over the obstacles that lay in my path. I am grateful for what I have in life and the people around me, but not everyone has the opportunities I have so graciously received. I currently volunteer for two organizations through my school. First is National Honors Society, where I packed and loaded boxes for operation Christmas child/ Samaritan’s purse and wrote Christmas cards for local veterans. Secondly, in Key club, I volunteered and oversaw the 2022 homecoming parade; I was in charge of lining up the cars. Over my final months in high school, I plan to participate in more voluntary activities and continue in college to help those less fortunate than myself. Once I graduate college, I will work to become a long-haul pilot, and once in a stable position with my career, I plan to give back and inspire younger generations to work hard and achieve to give them a better future. I hope I can give up my time to help others in life once I graduate college, and winning this scholarship would allow me to start giving back even sooner.

If you asked students across the country why are books important, many would say I don’t know or that books are not and they are a waste of time that could be spent elsewhere. But reading a good book temporarily transforms your perspectives and opinions as you feel the message a book is passing along. I have read a fair few books over my childhood and teenage years, however my favorite is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Based in Nazi Germany the stories presented by the book show the different perspective people had on the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NAZI party ). Over the course of the book many people will recall their childhood because of many of the events that happen, such as playing outside with friends. I like this because it shows that we all grow up playing the same games even though there are many political differences. The overall message is that books are a source of knowledge and that words are extremely powerful. When Adolf Hitler brought out his book Mein Kampf, ( my struggles in English) the power of his words swept the country allowing himself and his party to rise to power. The Book Thief doesn’t just show the importance of books, but also the power they can bring this can be in both a positive and negative way. Reading the book transports your mind to late 1930’s Germany, to show how books have a great importance to our world and how written words have the power to destroy and remember history.

Throughout the history of planet Earth there has always been problems, many of these were severe issues that needed to be immediately fixed, but today people aren’t fixing problems, but creating worse, more complex problems that could take millenniums to put right. There are many issues we can’t even talk about because there is so much disagreement. Earth faces many different problems that won’t be fixed because of disagreements and. The biggest problem the world faces right now is the inability to compromise on issues detrimental to society Most leaders are infamous for being unable to make compromises when “fixing” problems; by not acknowledging the oppositions views more problems are created when they could have easily been fixed by compromises. Creating compromises allows for small parts of one’s policy’s to be mixed together and form decisions that encompass many views and opinions not just a lone weak idea. There should be an immediate urgency to fix the worlds biggest problem to reduce disagreements and arguments between different viewpoints. The best way to compromise is meet in the middle, on political issues so most opinions can be found in a country’s laws and legislature. For a successful planet all views have to be accounted for; otherwise, one leader’s opinion will come out superior and their views will be forced on those who feel differently on a subject. Humans will never be able to fully agree with all opinions, but we should try to compromise which makes both sides win and achieve their goals making our world a better and safer place to live.