Flight Director Is Go for Launch by STANLEY

Flight Director Is Go for Launch by STANLEY - April 2025 Scholarship Essay

The hum of jet engines vibrated through the terminal as I pressed my face against the window, my eyes fixed on the enormous aircraft outside. Baggage carts zipped between planes, and the ground crews signaled in perfect coordination while the runways stretched endlessly toward the horizon. I wasn’t just excited to fly but mesmerized by everything around me. After that trip, I spent weeks sketching planes and airport layouts, asking countless questions. Why were wings swept back? Why were runways designed a certain way? How did pilots control something so massive with such precision?

My curiosity extended beyond aviation. I was the kid who always had a science book open under the desk, often to the frustration of my teachers. A research project on the Space Race in fourth grade introduced me to spaceflight, and I quickly became obsessed with the engineering behind spacecraft. I wanted to learn everything about the Space Shuttle, Apollo, and beyond. However, I was quite disappointed when I learned about the current state of spaceflight. The Shuttle had long retired, and spaceflight in general was just really expensive and prone to cancellation.

In 2019, my passion for aerospace kicked off again as I began following SpaceX’s Starship development. The concept of a fully reusable rocket, highly visible to the public as it took shape in Boca Chica, Texas, was revolutionary. Watching real-time progress—prototypes breathing fire and sometimes exploding—gave me a front-row seat to the engineering process. Through 24/7 live streams and constant news updates from the likes of NASASpaceFlight and Scott Manley, I witnessed history being made at an unprecedented pace since the Apollo program. Around the same time, missions like Crew Demo-2, Artemis 1, and Perseverance sparked my ambition. I didn’t just want to watch the progress unfold; I wanted to be part of it.

I want to become an aerospace engineer because it represents humanity’s greatest frontiers. More than just designing aircraft or spacecraft, I aim to push the boundaries of what’s possible—whether that involves advancing space exploration, enhancing aviation efficiency, or making space travel more accessible. One day, I hope to look at a plane or spacecraft and say, "I helped make that happen!"