In this scholarship video submission, Ozu Lee recounts a lifelong passion for aviation sparked by a private‑pilot father who took the family to the Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo annually. Early experiences included flying model aircraft, volunteering at the expo, and trips to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Throughout high school, Ozu pursued formal flight training, soloing a glider as a freshman, earning glider and private pilot licenses, and working toward an Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) certification, having just completed the O&P portion. An internship at Gulfstream provided hands‑on exposure to corporate aircraft operations. Ozu expresses gratitude to the scholarship committee and emphasizes a continued commitment to a career in aviation.
Chapters
Hello everyone, my name is Ozu Lee, and what made me interested in aviation was from the start, my dad's a private pilot and he would take us to the Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo every year since we were born. And we started off flying model aircraft like this one right here, and we— and me, me and my brother, uh, we just grew a love for aviation. And Every year we would look forward to volunteering and going to the Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo to see all the cool aircraft. We would plan trips to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum to see all the other aircraft we couldn't see down here. It really just involved our entire lives in aviation. And then through high school, that's when my aviation flying and maintenance career really started. I started off in freshman year soloing as a glider pilot, then getting my glider pilot's license, then getting my private pilot's license, and now currently working on my A&P license. Just finished my O&P as a certified aircraft mechanic, and, you know, aviation's really taken me to places I never thought I would ever be, such as Gulfstream right here. I worked over as an intern for two months at Gulfstream, seeing aircraft, seeing the ins and outs of aircraft I never thought I would be able to see in. And it's really just been a beautiful experience. You know where aviation could take you, the amazing things you could see, the people you can meet. It truly is just a wonderful space, and I enjoy it every single day. And I look forward to continuing. My career in aviation. I think I want to thank everyone on the scholarship committee for giving me a chance to potentially receive this scholarship. Thank you guys.
