Hi beautiful ladies, do you have a dream you aspire to achieve, but have been told you couldn’t because of your age or gender? This is coming from a 19 year old pilot. I can tell you firsthand you will never be as successful as when your motivated to defeat those people. All those saying you can’t do something don’t know you, they don’t know what you can accomplish. So, show them! Learning to fly at such a young age taught me that no matter your age or what society says is the “norm” you can do anything you set your mind too. My name is Addison, I am 19 years old college student. Being so young, many people look down on you assuming you cannot achieve as much, even more so as a woman. As a 15 year old girl, I started flying Cessna 172s ( a small single engine airplane) in Charleston, South Carolina. Clearly, that’s a big deal being so young and so ambitious. The people who told me I couldn’t were left behind when I not only completed my Private Pilots License (First license allowing you to fly as Pilot in command not for pay) at age 17 and my Instrument Rating (allowing a pilot to strictly fly using instruments without looking outside) at aged 18. But also just recently completing my Commercial License (Acting as pilot in command for compensation- not airlines) at just age 19. Truly the biggest lesson that flying has taught me is to find something you love and do it everyday. Life is all about finding your passions and living for them. You should always make your job what you love by finding something you love and doing it everyday. The aviation industry is mostly male with just 5% women. There is a lot of pressure on the women in the industry especially if flying with a male. Our desire is to prove them wrong and show we are just as capable. That 5% number is just a statistic. It does not make us any less capable at our job. These statistics have become my motivation to not only show those who doubted me at the beginning, but to also show myself I can do anything I set my mind too if I work hard enough. So ladies, with all that being said if you have a dream, I encourage you to go for it. To do anything in your power to achieve your dream. Don’t listen those around you , instead let it inspire you to push past it and heighten your motivation. You can do anything you set your mind too and we will be cheering you every step of the way. you are amazing. Xoxo, Addison.
Happy international women’s day beautiful
