At Home in the Skies by Erin

At Home in the Skies by Erin - February 2019 Scholarship Essay

I'll never forget the moment I stepped out onto the tarmac of Bergstrom Aircraft for the very first time. My eager eyes drank in the airfield's vastness stretching out before me and almost immediately, I felt something change inside me. Despite the relentless summer heat beating down, I felt chills race up my spine and I couldn't help but stare, awestruck, at the fleet of glistening aircraft, dotting the pavement. A visionary at heart, I knew-even then-I was staring directly into a world of opportunity, ripe for the taking. I needed to fly.

Unfortunately, my family was in no condition to support my newfound but expensive passion, and only being fourteen years old, I couldn't work just yet. As my sixteenth birthday approached, I filled out application after application until, finally, weeks after turning 16, I landed a position at McDonald's. It was a thankless job that was in no way exciting, but even still, I consistently stayed late whenever my managers asked, covered shifts for my fellow employees, and woke up as early as six in the morning every weekend simply so I could earn the money necessary to fuel my passion of flight.

When I wasn't in school or working, I could be found at Bergstrom Aircraft. I paid my way through ground school, and accumulated over 65 hours of flight including my first solo at sixteen, my second solo a few months later, several cross countries, and even a few hours of night flight. It was a slow process since I could only fly as much as I earned, but I refused to give up. I dumped all of my earnings into every second that I could buy in an aircraft, working tirelessly to earn my private pilot's license.
During my senior year in high school, I was offered a position at Bergstrom Aircraft, where I would work as a customer service representative and TerrAvion operator. Not only did working at Bergstrom Aircraft expand my technical skills, but it also allowed me to learn how to develop interpersonal skills that ultimately led me to connect with people while creating meaningful, long-term relationships with others. I learned how to network with each and every pilot and company that walked through our doors, and even still, remain in touch with some of the very same people I was lucky enough to be introduced to.

It was at Bergstrom Aircraft that I learned about Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I knew it was the one and only school I wanted to attend and was beyond ecstatic upon my acceptance. It is here, at Embry-Riddle, that I continue to work towards my pilot ratings that will ultimately allow me to do what I love most: fly.

Just as I paid my way through endless hours of flight in high school, I continue to seek creative and effective ways to pay for my college education. Any amount I can earn to put towards my education is an investment for the future, where eventually, I could be your Captain, finally at home in the skies.