Why I Race
Once Liz and I were introduced almost 4 years ago, it was clear we shared a passion and were both extremely dedicated to pursuing our dreams in aviation. We managed to put together an event, “Dreams of Wings,” in a small Mississippi town in 2013. The purpose of this event was to inspire and encourage young girls. At the time, it was painfully obvious that the children in some areas of the country were not encouraged to realize their potential and follow their dreams. They set low expectations for their future, and did not work hard or think they had the capability to do much more. This was truly disheartening to say the least, and it has not changed much since then.
The reason this was so disheartening was because I had never been exposed to or seen that type of attitude in my whole life. My parents taught me the value of hard work in every way. When I was a young girl, my mom decided to pursue being a flight attendant- a job she had wanted to do for a long time. Not only did she get hired, but she worked so hard during training and finished in the top of her class. I witnessed first-hand how hard work and dedication can help anyone reach their goals. Over the years, she has endured a lot of hardship in an ever-changing industry, but she has always wanted to keep going and continue doing this job that she loves so much. She is still a flight attendant to this day, and I couldn’t be more proud of how well she has done in her career.
When I was trying to figure out what “I wanted to be when I grew up,” my mom was the first person who got excited for me to pursue some type of aviation career. Everyone around me was reassuring and thought it was just this really awesome deal that I was reaching so high (literally). I never once heard the term “barrier” or the phrase “but you’re just a girl.” I only heard words of praise and cheerful admiration that I was aspiring to be a pilot. Those words came from my family, friends, teachers, and anyone I told my story to. Even while applying to the Air Force Academy, not once did I believe that my path would be any different from anyone else just because I was female. The gender barrier had never even occurred to me as a child, and I am glad it didn’t. Otherwise, I am not sure I would have even thought about flying airplanes.
Now, as an adult, I have come to realize that not everyone had the same mindset as me growing up. Not every girl was told that she could “be or do anything” and achieve their dreams. I am taken aback hearing some of the stories about how much hardship women have endured to get them to the position they are in. This is not only in the aviation career fields, but several others as well. I am happy that our society has come a long way with women in the work force, but that does not mean we have reached the end. There are still so many negative connotations when people hear about “career women.” I can say that I have personally felt judged by many before for not staying home and taking care of children. Those people have no idea what my story is and why I do what I do. While I remain unmarried with no children, it is not because I put my career first and have no desire for a family life. On the contrary, I would very much like to start a family one day, Lord-willing. That does not mean I am holding myself back in my work for now, while I wait. I want to do as much as possible while I have the chances to do it!
So again, “why do I race” this year? I race for my sisters who are both in jobs they love, and are truly good at, as a result of my parents pushing us all to be whatever we want to be. I race for the young girls who do not hear the same encouragement I did when I was growing up. I race for my nieces whom I love, who are still so young and have the whole world ahead of them. I race for all my friends’ children who I adore and want to pursue their dreams in any and every way possible. I race for the girls I have met who do not think they are good enough to do big things one day. I race for the people who have endured any sort of discrimination or felt that they were unworthy to pursue their dream jobs. I race because I want to show people that a simple concept of uplifting a person instead of discouraging them can make all the difference in how they approach life. If everyone on earth was told to dream big and go for it, imagine the possibilities! And finally, I race for my mom. I want to be for others what she was for me- my biggest cheerleader, the best inspiration, and extremely encouraging to anyone with a goal. I would not be the person I am today if it was not for her. In this world, the sky is truly the limit- so let’s go there!
