“Don't run with the crowd; fly with the stars.” by Matshona Dhliwayo by J Thomas

“Don't run with the crowd; fly with the stars.” by Matshona Dhliwayo by J Thomas - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

My yearbook quote would be “Don't run with the crowd; fly with the stars.” by Matshona Dhliwayo. Reaching my goal means staying focused every single day on living my life in a way that will allow me to achieve my dream of becoming a pilot.

When I was about four years old I went on my first flight. I still remember being fascinated seeing the cockpit and the clouds from the sky. I flew again when I was sixteen and since then I have been obsessed with the thought of flying. Every day I research and do everything I can to become informed about anything to do with aviation. Through all of this research I have set goals for myself and have made a blueprint for my life.

First, I started working to save for college and flight school. I work as much as I can and even though I pay for all of my gas, clothes, and personal expenses, I have managed to save enough to start college. I have made a budget and do not allow myself to spend money foolishly.

I plan to continue working through getting all of my pilot licenses which consists of six certifications: Private, Instrument, Commercial, CFI, and CFII. Once that is accomplished I will continue to pursue my bachelors degree in Aviation Logistics at the University of North Texas. In order to become an airline pilot for a major airline I must have a Bachelor degree.

Along with a Bachelor degree, I need to have a minimum of 1250 hours of logged flight time. In order to build these hours I will become a flight instructor for any flight schools in my area. Once I build enough hours I can get my Airline Transport (ATP) certification. With and ATP certificate I will then start applying for corporate or regional airline jobs. At this time my goal is to work for Envoy Airlines which is a regional carrier for American Airlines.

As I begin to work in the aviation industry and learn more about what the industry has to offer, I will get acclimated to flying bigger airplanes. I would love to fly the CRJ-700 jet as a regional airline pilot. After a few years as a regional pilot I will gain enough seniority within Envoy Airlines to flow over to American Airlines. Once I get to a major airline like American Airlines, I will start to fly bigger planes like the Boeing 777. This will be my dream, flying a huge and beautiful plane.

Traveling will be an added bonus of becoming an airline pilot. I enjoy traveling anywhere. I would like to see as much of the world as I possibly can with my own eyes. Becoming a pilot could make this possible.

I cannot wait to be up in the skies every day. That is all I think about. I cannot picture myself doing anything else. I started my journey in August at Tarrant County College professional pilot program and in two years will transfer to the University of North Texas.

I “don't run with the crowd”, because I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs-never have and never will do anything that will keep me from reaching my goal to “fly with the stars.”