Ayesha Dassa
Story
There I was at the Bromont Airport in a Cessna 150, a two-seater powered aircraft, inches away from the runaway as I was about to perform my first solo flight. I was both excited and nervous. I aligned the plane with the centre of the runway and pushed full throttle. The plane was rushing along the runway until, eventually, I started pulling back on my control column and I was up in the air. I could feel the aircraft being so much lighter than my practice flights where I had my instructor sitting beside me in the co-pilot seat. Being up in the sky was unlike any other experience I witnessed before, seeing the world around me from another perspective.
After landing the plane, I brought the plane over to where all my classmates were cheering for me. As soon as I got out of the plane, I got drenched by buckets of water thrown on me, soaking my flight suit as the first solo flight tradition.
This was one experience where my passion for aviation and engineering grew stronger. I remember when I moved to Canada from England, when the plane took off I was so excited to see the ailerons on the wing moving up and down. This moment sparked my interest in aviation and I have loved aviation ever since. I also loved building different creations out of Lego and doing jigsaw puzzles as a child. These hobbies led me to discovering engineering, how different parts worked together to create something incredible. Studying aerospace engineering was the best of both worlds, combining my interests in aviation and engineering.
Working with StemChef has allowed me to share my passion for engineering to interest more kids in STEM. Throughout this experience, Ashie has helped me to think in a way where STEM could be exciting for kids through an alternate reality, teaching them concepts that they may struggle with through the enjoyment of fun activities. I’d love to see more diversity in STEM, so I’m excited for the impact that StemChef will create in the future!