The story shares the experiences of Cecilia, who was raised
in a small midwestern town in the 1960s. She struggled with shyness, and being the daughter
of immigrant parents from Chile and the Philippines led to bullies and racist
treatment. But she worked hard to gain her education and through her work in
engineering, she was introduced to a co-worker who loved to fly. He offered to
take her up in a plane and give her the experience of flight in a small aircraft.
As terrified as she was, she took the opportunity, and fell
in love with flying. Her mathematical way of approaching problems allowed her
to work her way from a beginning flight student, small in size but big in
desire, to accomplish her goals and overcoming great hurdles to get there.
Our group were impressed at her tenacity and energy, and
more powerful, her passion for flying. She was interesting and inspirational to
read about and it was a powerful story to learn from.
