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Senior at North Tahoe High School and a back Waitress at Wolfdale’s in Tahoe City

Since June of this year. Three years ago, my mom entered me into a summer program at the Experimental Aircraft Assoc. at the Truckee Airport. They did an intro to flight there and I went to that program for two years. They were giving scholarships to go to the Air Academy camp in Osh Kosh, Wis. That is where I really started liking flying and pursuing a career in flying. We saw the world’s biggest air show while at camp. It got me really interested in it. They were doing acrobatic tricks. I am pretty set on becoming a commercial pilot and maybe as a side hobby practice [air] aerobics.

When I was really young I don’t remember wanting to be a pilot. I first got an interest when I was 10 and when I started going to those camps. You can take a lesson at any time at any age, but you have to be 16 to solo and 17 to get a pilot’s license. It’s more common on the East Coast [for people my age to take flying lessons]. To get your pilot’s license you need 50 hours and I have 30 hours. I will probably go to an aeronautical college next year. This is the first step. I soloed about a month and a half ago. I like it a lot. It is very exciting. It is a challenge and I like to get the landings perfect. I am hard on myself with everything I do.

I dance also. I am a ballerina at the Tahoe Dance School. Every year at Christmas time we have a performance. Every two years we have a major exam we do. I have been dancing since I was four. I kind of like the jazzy point. We are doing a dance this year that is really jazzy and I’m really into it. It is less strict. I am also in jazz band and symphonic band. I play the clarinet, tenor sax and alto sax. I played the clarinet for seven years and the others for five years. I am also in Girl Scouts. Our troop saved money since we were three or four years old to go to Europe and we went this spring. I had never been to Europe before. It was a great experience. My favorite country was Germany. They seem more like us. We went to London, Paris, Switzerland and Germany.

I like seeing different places. I am looking forward to doing the traveling thing and going to different places. I’m looking at Embry and Riddle Aeronautical School in Arizona. It is the number one aeronautical school in the nation besides the Air Force Academy. It has everything I like. It has a small dance team there and it is in a nice area like here.

About a year ago. I’m raising money to get my pilot’s lessons. When I first said I wanted to take flight lessons, my dad hates flying and flying in planes and he wasn’t too sure about it. My grandpa was really into it. When he was little he took all the pictures from the war of planes and I have that scrapbook. It is pretty cool.

The Sun’s Kara Fox interviewed Ash for this week’s Meet Your Neighbor.” Please send your suggestions for “Meet Your Neighbor” to kfox@sierrasun.com.