I am at a loss for words. To say I am blessed is quite the understatement. I never thought I would actually make it to senior year. Financially, completing a bachelors degree at a part 141 flight school was not very realistic for me. But here I am, half way done with my second to last semester and I can finally see a bachelors degree at the finish line.
I would not be here if it was not for the various scholarship committees that believed in me over the years. You are helping me reach my career aspirations that I have been dreaming of since I was four years old. If you would've told four year-old me that I'd make it, I wouldn't have believed you. To be exact, I wouldn't have believed you up until recently.
I am sitting here writing this in my hotel room at the University Aviation Association Conference. I just got back from the scholarship banquet and I am overwhelmed by gratitude. I was awarded the 2019 Paul A. Whelan Aviation Scholarship. Dr. Whelan served in the Air Force and ended up teaching at the Air Force Academy. His family started this memorial scholarship to honor Dr. Whelan's contributions to aviation. He sounds like he was quite the aviator, I wish I could've met him. The scholarship was offered through the University Aviation Association (UAA).
This year's UAA conference is held in Memphis. The exhibit hall is unreal. There are so many airlines and various aviation companies with tables in the hall. On my flight down here, I ended up getting upgraded to first class! It was quite the way to travel. Memphis also has some awesome food. Last night we went to a restaurant called Flight (a very fitting name for the occasion). Everything came in flights of three. I ordered a cabernet flight and a seafood flight with various dishes. My last objective in Memphis before I head home on Saturday is to try to famous Memphis BBQ.
