Third-grade students in Mrs. Caitlin Contes and Ms. Michelle Montalbano’s class at Tangier Smith Elementary School recently welcomed – via Zoom – Luke Zadrazil, a college freshman currently attending Averett University in Danville, Virginia, to discuss his studies to become a certified flight instructor and eventually a commercial airline pilot.
Luke, who already earned his private pilot license while in high school, is the son of Ms. Chanda Zadrazil, Tangier Smith Elementary School’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) teacher.
During the video call, Luke answered several questions from students and encouraged them to follow their dreams and pursue their hobbies, as one day it could become their career.
Some of the questions included:
“Why did you choose to go to school to become a pilot?”
“When did you know that you wanted to fly?”
“Have you ever flown with your mom before?”
“What kind of classes are you taking and what do you like about your college?” and, “Where is your favorite place to fly and what kind of planes do you like to fly?”
Luke shared that during high school, he was able to talk to a pilot and learned that following his passion of flying may be a possibility for a career.
Ms. Montalbano noted that Luke may have also ignited a similar spark and inspiration to some of the third-grade students. While he has not yet flown with his mother, he hopes to be able to do that this summer.
The class will be writing persuasive letters in an effort to convince her to fly with him, however, they do not think it will take much convincing.
Additionally, Luke noted that he loves flying over Long Island and seeing beautiful sunsets over the water. In fact, one time he flew over Tangier Smith Elementary School while his mother watched from the ground.
Currently, Luke is learning how to safely fly through clouds, and that there is science involved in this, which his studies are helping him to prepare for. He also enjoys that his college is smaller, affording him greater individualized attention and a strong sense of community; he also enjoys that he is able to take what he has learned in the classroom and put it into action in the air