Name: Mya De La Rosa
Age: 19
Hometown: San Diego, CA
College: University of Colorado - Boulder
Graduation Year: 2027
About Me:
My father served in federal law enforcement, thus I have spent my life in communities of people in service of the United States, overseas in Honduras and El Salvador, as well as domestically in Southern California and Washington, DC. Living overseas, I internalized the importance of service to the country and democracy. In high school, my mentors at work and robotics were retired defense contractors or military service members, and they informed my long-term organizing principle to develop technology that improves lives as a leader of character.
To that end, I am studying Aerospace Engineering, and I am a cadet in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, a program for students that produces Air Force Officers; I aspire to commission as an engineer or pilot, contributing to US national security with military technology and our capacity to uphold democratic values on the global stage.
Why are you passionate about aviation?
The summer after my junior year of high school, I attended the Air Force Academy Summer Seminar. At the Academy, I toured the airfield and aeronautical engineering labs, watched flyovers and helicopter landings, and studied operational military leadership at a remotely piloted aircraft center. Under the influence of pilots and aviation enthusiasts, I caught the aviation bug.
Subsequently, during my senior year of high school, I was competitively selected to participate in the three-week AIM HIGH Flight Academy sponsored by the Air Force, earning fifteen flight hours. As the program progressed, I grew to love walking down the flight line, shaking the ailerons, or touching the prop, and I loved the sound and the feel of the engine starting, going full throttle for takeoff, and later, hopping off the wing at the end of a flight. In addition to flight hours, I engaged in training in flight simulators, daily ground school, and mentorship from enlisted personnel and rated officers in the Air Force.
As a student at the AIM HIGH Flight Academy and in ROTC, I have visited several Air Force Bases, including Luke AFB. There, I met fighter pilots, and I became infatuated with jets, gaping into the space where their engines lie and walking under their wings. On visits to flying squadrons, I am always impressed by the confidence tempered with humility that characterizes their pilots and aircrews. These experiences of training, meeting pilots and other professionals in the aviation industry, and getting up close with a variety of aircraft have built upon each other, culminating in a big passion in me for aviation.
Why did you choose to apply to Tuskegee NEXT and how did you hear about the program?
My goal is to commission into the Air Force with a pilot slot. To be competitive for a pilot slot, I should have high scores on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test, Air Force Test of Basic Aviation Skills, and forty flight hours. Participating in Tuskegee NEXT would allow me to earn those flight hours and build a strong foundation of aviation knowledge to score highly on the AFOQT and TBAS. In addition, I appreciated the idea of flight training in an academy setting, learning alongside focused young adults who share my passion for aviation, so I applied. I learned about the program on Facebook.
What are your future aviation aspirations?
Currently, my desire is to become a heavy or helicopter pilot in the Air Force at a unit focused on search and rescue missions, and eventually, to become a test pilot either in a military or civilian capacity. I am attracted to the aviation industry because it creates opportunities to travel, to practice engineering, and to be challenged. Indeed, I am often told that this industry is constantly evolving and requires folks to learn something new every day: the industry attracts talented and effortful people, and I look forward to being in a community with them.
Fun Fact:
I hiked an active volcano in Nicaragua, Volcan Masaya.
Quote:
“Be a pit bull on a leash.”- Krusty, Air Force Fighter Pilot discussing the key to success at pilot training