Just a week before the end of seventh grade, I did something that changed my life. Finally, after a year of struggling to make it happen. I got a 100 on a Biology quiz. Okay I know, it was just a quiz, but it was actually much more than that. My parents were always against me having a presence on social media and I understood why, but I still wanted it. I drafted a deal with them stating I would improve my Biology grade and just weeks before the year’s close, the goal was accomplished. As I upheld my side of the deal, this meant I could finally download the app everyone was talking about.

Yes, I finally opened an Instagram account. To my surprise, the username @Plane.Photos was not yet taken, despite millions of people already using the platform. I claimed it and on May 29, 2014 I posted my first ever aviation photograph on social media. It got one or two likes and as a result I gained a few followers. Within a month, the page had amassed upwards of 100 followers.

For the next year, I posted one picture from my collection everyday. Before I knew it, middle school was over and I had surpassed the 10,000 follower mark. With freshman year in full swing, never-ending cycles of homework, lecture, exam and repeat ensued in my core classes. My days were full of what at the time I considered busy work and I had less time to focus on my growing page.

As I began the tenth grade, I shifted my account’s focus in an effort to create a community among my followers who all share one common connection: passion and love for aviation. Meanwhile, journalism swiftly captured my attention when I joined my high school’s newspaper. Like the middle child, my love for planes was deprived of attention as writing took over my free time. Luckily I came across AirlineGeeks.com, an industry leading aviation publication. I found the best of both worlds when they accepted me as a writer and editor last year.

Diving deep into the world of journalism both in and out of school, I continued inching closer to my dream of working in the aviation industry. As I expanded my interest and involvement in aviation, I made it a point to incorporate what I learned in class to continue evolving the @Plane.Photos Instagram community. From statistics learned in math class to supply and demand learned in economics, I connected my education at school with my work outside of school.

The education at LASA was rigorous and often times I struggled with the complex concepts and tough classes. Over time, I’ve learned that the challenge LASA provided has kept me thriving. My brain was never left in cruise control at school, always focused on taking what I learned in class and interpret it in my work outside of class.

As I prepare to graduate high school on May 29, that Wednesday will also mark the fifth anniversary of @Plane.Photos, a community which has now grown to over 65,000 followers from more than 170 countries. The page has helped me grow as a student and I look forward to continuing my endeavours with it throughout the next five years of my life in college and beyond.