My name is Shayla Belsher, and I am an aspiring pilot. I am hoping to get my private pilot’s licence this summer through the Air Cadet program. The Air Cadet program has been a part of my life for almost six years now and has taught me so much about who I am and who I want to become. Through the program, I have already obtained my glider pilot licence at the ago of 16 and have had a chance to see things I wouldn’t have dreamed of.

The sensation of flying an aircraft through the air without any hindrance is exhilarating. Words can’t explain how free it feels to glide through the open Prairie skies in control of my aircraft with nothing to determine my path but myself. I love taking up passengers and teaching them all about the aircraft and theory behind how it flies since it is science, not magic.

I am aiming to become an astronautical aerospace engineer and eventually make my way into space. If you would have asked what I wanted to become when I was younger, I would have said an astronaut. If you ask me now, the answer hasn’t changed; I still want to become an astronaut, but now I have the means and opportunities to make it a reality one day. My favourite subjects are chemistry and physics, which work wonderfully with this field of study.