My brother and I have watched Top Gun more times than you could count. Growing up, it was the only military film that caught our attention, since it had always been his plan to serve.
I would always imagine the excitement that must come from flying planes and jets, and seeing how someone could do it for a living was compelling. However, growing up with brothers and influenced by a film of male pilots, I couldn’t imagine myself in a cockpit.
Fast forward to last year. My brother and I raced to the theaters to watch the Top Gun sequel. Again, I imagined the thrill of flying. Only this time, something was different. In a group of male aviators, there was a female pilot, named Phoenix. In a second, I imagined what I hadn’t before: me being the one in the cockpit feeling the thrill.
Phoenix was incredible, but now I just had to experience it for myself. I wasn’t sure if a film could really set the stage for what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, but then –lucky me! – I was given the opportunity to attend a summer aviation camp with Giving Kids Wings Flight Academy.
I didn’t know what to expect. This was the first step I was taking into a possible piloting career. The next thing I knew, I was sitting in the pilot seat (yes, on a folded pillow…I’m still hoping I'll grow a few inches) and flying for the first time in my life.
What I thought was impossible not that long ago had become a reality. This experience not only ensured that I want to be a pilot, but proved that I'm capable of it, too.
I have two main motivations. One, I’m aiming to be a pilot so I can one day show my parents the world. My parents are immigrants, and my mama was diagnosed with stage four cancer. They haven’t experienced the world the way that I have been lucky enough to. They deserve the world, and so instead of buying them a ticket to see it, I want to be the one to take them.
Two, I'm aiming to be a pilot for the US Air Force. The youngest generation of my family turned out to be military. My brother is a Marine, while my cousin is in the Navy. Now I'm lucky enough to hopefully finish the trio by joining the Air Force.
I'm determined to achieve my dreams of being a pilot and grasp every experience that comes with it, and I'm beyond grateful to those who choose to help me on this journey.