Our “GUEST BLOG” series continues and we excitedly introduce you to Rachelle.
A few self words about Rachelle as we introduce you to her blog:
Rachelle, a philanthropist and aviatrix extraordinaire, has developed a passion and love for aviation, as well as tremendous admiration for it’s community. A pilot since 2010, she has become a force to be reckoned with among the aviation community. She flies various types of aircrafts such as single-engine, multi-engine piston aircrafts, various jets and helicopters. Currently, she holds a Commercial Jet-Type Rating with Single-Pilot Privileges. Rachelle is originally from Beaver Falls, PA but currently resides in Southern California. Most importantly, she loves to encourage women and children to get involved with aviation in any capacity. She recently founded “The I Hart Flying Foundation.” A charitable organization geared towards increasing the number of female aviators through the award of yearly Flight-Training Scholarships.
We further share her positive story……
“A Change of (flight) Path” by Rachelle
Ever heard the saying, “make plans and god laughs”? Haha, haven’t we all! Looking back, isn’t it funny how growing up you “think” you know what you want to do with yourself, you try and plan things, you set goals, etc, etc? Sound familiar? If you would have asked me as a kid, teenager, or even as a young adult, “Rachelle, what do you want to be when you grow up”, I could have answered that in a split second. What I am about to share with you wasn’t even on my radar!
It is interesting how, sometimes, life comes in and makes decisions for you? I guess that is what makes life so special! It throws things at you that you may not have ever even considered. I am sure this is the case for many of you. And yes, it even happened to me! Even the slightest bit of positive energy that you put out into the universe does come back and in ways you may not even have considered. Approximately 7 years ago, a flight instructor randomly reached out to me on Facebook, out of all places, and asked me to come for a free flight. That very next morning, I showed up at a little flight school located at the Van Nuys Airport, and from that moment forward my life path, I mean flight path, was forever changed! Since that first flight, I have pushed myself to become a force in the industry. I knew that if I wanted to mentor, encourage and educate others within aviation, I had to do the work and work hard. Regardless of any adversity or obstacle that may have gotten in my way, I wasn’t going to let anything stop me. Life is all about the journey, which helps us grow as an individual. My favorite personal quote is, “If you’re not learning, you’re not growing.”
Which, brings me to today, 7 years later. Sharing my passion for aviation and its community with others, plus taking it a step further by empowering women. I want others to be able to achieve their dreams of earning their wings just as I did! I’m super proud to share some exciting and positive news with how I am giving back and paying things forward:
I recently founded, “The I Hart Flying Foundation”, a 501C3 public non-profit. Our mission is to assist young women in achieving their aviation goals through the awarding of Flight-Training Scholarships. We believe that helping young women achieve their pilot’s license will provide a positive way to increase the number of women aviators. We just ended our very first Flight-Training Scholarship Award and will be choosing a recipient before the Thanksgiving Holiday! This has been such an amazing, unexpected, yet rewarding journey. Helping others in an industry that I have come to admire and love so much, means the world to me. Life certainly has its way of popping in to open our eyes to new experiences and diverting us in directions we never could have dreamed. But if you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything your heart desires!
Has life popped in and taken you down a completely different life path than you anticipated?
I enjoy doing random acts of kindness, how about you? Whether it be smiling at a stranger, opening a door for someone, donating my time or simply paying someone a compliment. What random act of kindness or positivity have you put out in the universe lately?
We really appreciate your support. Please feel free to share and spread the word about our organization.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read. Blue Skies and Tailwinds
Rachelle
Stay in touch and reach out to Rachelle:
Websites’: ihartflying.org iamrachelle.com
Instagram: @ihartflying
Facebook: @ihartflying
Twitter: @ihartflying