TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF. I'm a creative type, and I like to give back. I'm a Christian. I also love planes. They are pretty fascinating to me; ever since I was a little kid, I've liked airplanes. I have a flight simulator that I fly during my free time. I'm also a bit of an adventure type, I guess you could say.

THAT IS SO COOL! SO WHAT IS YOUR CONNECTION TO CASA DE ESPERANZA? My two older brothers and I were placed in foster care at Casa when I was younger. And ultimately, we were adopted by my parents. My dad's sister is the reason that I am the person I am today. She has been the foundation of my life.

WHAT SCHOOL ARE YOU CURRENTLY ATTENDING, AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE IT? I'm currently a sophomore at Sam Houston State University. I chose this school because it was the right size for me. It wasn't too big. Finding a smaller school was important for me so I could really get to know my teachers and feel comfortable reaching out for help. One of the things I like most here is the interactions with everybody.

T'S GREAT THAT YOU FOUND A PLACE THAT WORKS SO WELL FOR YOU. TELL ME ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE STUDYING. I double major in kinesiology and education here at Sam.

CAN YOU SHARE WHAT YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU FINISH SCHOOL? My original plan was to be a coach, because I played a lot of sports growing up, including football, baseball, and basketball. I'm studying kinesiology and education. It's the study of the mind and body together.

WHAT DOES YOUR CAREER PATH LOOK LIKE NOW? Being a coach is actually my backup plan. I really want to be a pilot. But I know that I need to have a solid foundation in education first. The aviation industry can be tough so I wanted to make sure that if it doesn't work out, I can fall back into something else that I love.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FALL OF 2022? Fall 2022 is a big step for me. I'm going back home and doing strictly online classes and starting flight school. So I'm going to be a full-time college student and also a full-time flight school student.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FOUR YEARS? I see myself being a CFI [Certified Flight Instructor], teaching people how to fly.

WHAT ABOUT IN 10 YEARS? In 10 years, I see myself flying commercial, or in private industry, like flying corporate people around or something like that. I just haven't chosen yet because I haven't taken any classes or really talked to people about what the difference between commercial and corporate is.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS DECIDING IN COLLEGE IS THE BEST ROUTE FOR THEM? Do not worry if you truly don't know what you want to do. There are a lot of opportunities out there for you. Just choose something that you like.

I DO ABSOLUTELY HOPE YOU ACHIEVE ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND BEYOND!