The Story of My Life.
I've been known to do some really radical things in my life. In fact, I've done, and will continue to do, things that will blow people's minds away. I used to be very "anti-student debt" and focused on staying home with my family during college to cut costs.
But, ha. I've since reached legal adulthood, and goodness, have things taken an 180-degree turn.
What originally drove me out of my parents' house was the inability of my family to get along at any level. I took extra jobs and hung out with my friends all weekend long in order to avoid having to be at home with my parents. If I had even the slightest bit of free time, I'd go to the LSU library and browse the Internet on my laptop. I'd do absolutely anything to get anyway from them. Anything.
My love for aviation was definitely a part of my childhood. I loved commercial air travel more than anything else. My parents and I used to travel, a lot. I would always look forward to our trips - we would go traveling for Spring Break, 2x during Summer, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We spent hours in the airport, and countless hours in airplanes. I would always go into the cockpit of the airplane, where the pilot would give me an airplane wings pin.
I lost my joy for aviation during the early years of high school until I received a brochure from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I had registered for the college mailing list from Petersons.com and was constantly receiving mail from colleges across the nation - Duke, UCLA, Iowa State, and about 50 - 60 other colleges. But what made ERAU so different was the fact that it was an aviation college. I remember, that at the time, I wanted to become a Catholic youth minister or nun, so I would major in Philosophy. I remember saying to my dad, "I stated on Petersons.com that I wanted to major in Philosophy, so why is some airplane school mailing me?"
Little did I know that the brochure from ERAU would rekindle an old joy that I had - commercial aviation. By my senior year of high school / first year at LSU, I was bound-determined to become an airline pilot. I didn't have a checking account at the time that I would apply to Embry-Riddle's Prescott Campus (I was 17), so I begged my dad to lend me a $50 check - just to keep ERAU "an option."
Just a couple of weeks later, I received a letter of acceptance and an academic scholarship from ERAU. Opening the letter of acceptance was one of the best moments of my life because it was a stepping stone that I now wanted to pursue.
I let things calm down for a little bit before attempting to pull out student loans. My parents had been telling me to go to LSU, and that they wouldn't co-sign student loans for me to pursue a degree in Aeronautical Science [professional aviation]. My dad offered incentives for me to stay home - he would co-sign, or even help buy, a GMC Yukon [this was EXTREMELY tempting]. He would even cover the first $7,000 of flight instruction if I decided to train in Louisiana.
Still, nope. That wasn't what I wanted. The dream of flying planes through the sky into the horizon still excited me.
Last April, things got even worse with my parents. They had indicated that I was in need of an "attitude adjustment" and refused to let me drive the Explorer. I was driving around an embarassing, "booger-green" Ford Escort. Never in my life have I been so humiliated as to each time when I drove that piece of crap. They were still refusing to co-sign my student loans and were threatening to do everything within their power to keep me from going to Prescott. They said that they would hold my passport, social security cards, and not give me a car to drive.
So what did I do? I shocked my parents by purchasing a 2003 Honda Accord.
Purchasing the Accord was probably one of the most significant actions that I have ever taken. It represented my genuine desire to pursue aviation at any cost - even if I had to go out on my own. By this action, I proved to my parents that I wasn't going to rely on them for help anymore. I was now a legal adult, and I was going to make my dreams come true.
Further problems with my parents resulted in my moving out of the house for the remainder of the summer. My parents still refused to give me my passport, social security card, birth certificate, etc. But when I threatened to sue them... they cooperated.
Many people were trying to convince me to stay in Baton Rouge and attend LSU, but my heart was set on one thing - Embry-Riddle. One night, at the Simmons house, I was on the internet filing my loan application. And I got approved!!! I think that I cried this night because I realized, that for the very first time, my dreams were not dreams anymore - they were reality.
I decided to pursue Aviation Management at ERAU instead of my original desire to become a pilot. Dr. Simmons had advised me against flight training because of its costs, and I agreed to change majors.
But now I ask myself - did I make a mistake in pursuing management? Absolutely not. I absolutely love studying Business Administration - finance, accounting, management, etc. I know that I'll be using my degree in Aviation Management to build a better future for myself.
But still, I have not lost that passion to go to flight school. I have not lost that passion to fly an airplane into the horizon. In fact, that's what I want to do more than anything. I still want to fly for my own charter jet operation one day. I'm going to make it happen.
And starting the first week of September, I'll be making it happen. I'll be flying out of Ellington Field Airport here in Southeast Houston. I'll be flying only once a week, unless I can pull out more loans to fly two or three times per week.
I'm finally going to get serious about becoming a pilot. I'm going to get all of the education and flying instruction that I need to make my dreams come true.
I've got the loans.
Now it's time to go out there and make it happen.
But, ha. I've since reached legal adulthood, and goodness, have things taken an 180-degree turn.
What originally drove me out of my parents' house was the inability of my family to get along at any level. I took extra jobs and hung out with my friends all weekend long in order to avoid having to be at home with my parents. If I had even the slightest bit of free time, I'd go to the LSU library and browse the Internet on my laptop. I'd do absolutely anything to get anyway from them. Anything.
My love for aviation was definitely a part of my childhood. I loved commercial air travel more than anything else. My parents and I used to travel, a lot. I would always look forward to our trips - we would go traveling for Spring Break, 2x during Summer, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We spent hours in the airport, and countless hours in airplanes. I would always go into the cockpit of the airplane, where the pilot would give me an airplane wings pin.
I lost my joy for aviation during the early years of high school until I received a brochure from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I had registered for the college mailing list from Petersons.com and was constantly receiving mail from colleges across the nation - Duke, UCLA, Iowa State, and about 50 - 60 other colleges. But what made ERAU so different was the fact that it was an aviation college. I remember, that at the time, I wanted to become a Catholic youth minister or nun, so I would major in Philosophy. I remember saying to my dad, "I stated on Petersons.com that I wanted to major in Philosophy, so why is some airplane school mailing me?"
Little did I know that the brochure from ERAU would rekindle an old joy that I had - commercial aviation. By my senior year of high school / first year at LSU, I was bound-determined to become an airline pilot. I didn't have a checking account at the time that I would apply to Embry-Riddle's Prescott Campus (I was 17), so I begged my dad to lend me a $50 check - just to keep ERAU "an option."
Just a couple of weeks later, I received a letter of acceptance and an academic scholarship from ERAU. Opening the letter of acceptance was one of the best moments of my life because it was a stepping stone that I now wanted to pursue.
I let things calm down for a little bit before attempting to pull out student loans. My parents had been telling me to go to LSU, and that they wouldn't co-sign student loans for me to pursue a degree in Aeronautical Science [professional aviation]. My dad offered incentives for me to stay home - he would co-sign, or even help buy, a GMC Yukon [this was EXTREMELY tempting]. He would even cover the first $7,000 of flight instruction if I decided to train in Louisiana.
Still, nope. That wasn't what I wanted. The dream of flying planes through the sky into the horizon still excited me.
Last April, things got even worse with my parents. They had indicated that I was in need of an "attitude adjustment" and refused to let me drive the Explorer. I was driving around an embarassing, "booger-green" Ford Escort. Never in my life have I been so humiliated as to each time when I drove that piece of crap. They were still refusing to co-sign my student loans and were threatening to do everything within their power to keep me from going to Prescott. They said that they would hold my passport, social security cards, and not give me a car to drive.
So what did I do? I shocked my parents by purchasing a 2003 Honda Accord.
Purchasing the Accord was probably one of the most significant actions that I have ever taken. It represented my genuine desire to pursue aviation at any cost - even if I had to go out on my own. By this action, I proved to my parents that I wasn't going to rely on them for help anymore. I was now a legal adult, and I was going to make my dreams come true.
Further problems with my parents resulted in my moving out of the house for the remainder of the summer. My parents still refused to give me my passport, social security card, birth certificate, etc. But when I threatened to sue them... they cooperated.
Many people were trying to convince me to stay in Baton Rouge and attend LSU, but my heart was set on one thing - Embry-Riddle. One night, at the Simmons house, I was on the internet filing my loan application. And I got approved!!! I think that I cried this night because I realized, that for the very first time, my dreams were not dreams anymore - they were reality.
I decided to pursue Aviation Management at ERAU instead of my original desire to become a pilot. Dr. Simmons had advised me against flight training because of its costs, and I agreed to change majors.
But now I ask myself - did I make a mistake in pursuing management? Absolutely not. I absolutely love studying Business Administration - finance, accounting, management, etc. I know that I'll be using my degree in Aviation Management to build a better future for myself.
But still, I have not lost that passion to go to flight school. I have not lost that passion to fly an airplane into the horizon. In fact, that's what I want to do more than anything. I still want to fly for my own charter jet operation one day. I'm going to make it happen.
And starting the first week of September, I'll be making it happen. I'll be flying out of Ellington Field Airport here in Southeast Houston. I'll be flying only once a week, unless I can pull out more loans to fly two or three times per week.
I'm finally going to get serious about becoming a pilot. I'm going to get all of the education and flying instruction that I need to make my dreams come true.
I've got the loans.
Now it's time to go out there and make it happen.