Personal Statement

I was born in Seattle, the “jet city”, but I did not focus on aviation as something I could
do as a career until I was in high school. I had been to the Museum of Flight in Seattle, and to
the Tillamook Air Museum in Oregon, many times and I also attended Aviation Day at Alaska
Airlines with my Boy Scout troop. Growing up I knew several airline and military pilots and my
stepfather is a former USAF pilot and currently is a Captain at Alaska Airlines, so I have a
realistic idea of what the life of a professional pilot is like. All these individuals seemed to really
enjoy their jobs. As I grew older and began to think about what I might choose to study in
college and later make my profession, I began to think that aviation would be that rare thing
that was more than just a job, but an endeavor that I would really enjoy and would also happen
to “pay the bills”. The happiest people I know are those who really love what they do. Aviation
has those qualities and for those lucky enough to successfully obtain the necessary licenses and
flying experience, it can be much more than a hobby.
When I was in 11th grade, I began to explore the different pathways to becoming a
professional pilot. It is possible to become an airline pilot by attending a community college
and a flight school. Another way to become a pilot is to enter the military and hope that you
will be assigned a flight slot. Finally, there is the university route. I thought about each of these
pathways and decided that I wanted to be the best pilot that I could be and have as many doors
open to me as possible, so that one day I would be qualified to get one of the best jobs out
there. I want to learn everything I can about professional flight from the best program I could
get into. I believe that putting in that effort now, even if it takes a few years longer than
another route, is the right thing for me. I took stock of my situation and decided that the best
way to increase my chances to attend a top aviation university was to show them that I was
exactly what they were looking for. I obtained my Federal Aviation Administration Medical
certificate, I applied for a Student Pilot License, and I began flight training at the Tacoma
Narrows Airport. I joined a number of aviation societies and took a summer ground school
course at the Museum of Flight. It worked! I was offered early admission to the prestigious
aerospace program at the University of North Dakota. I am in the final stages now of getting
my Private Pilot’s License and will have that before I start University in the Fall. I feel incredibly
grateful to the people who encouraged me to look at aviation as more than a hobby or a day at
a museum, because now I have the maturity and ambition to take this amazing opportunity and
use it to become one of those people that I looked up to when I was trying to find my path.

Zachary Zerngast