2006 Nat'l Air Transportation Assoc Scholarship

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From time to time I will post things on "Adversity University" that may be unrelated to overcoming adversity. I'm doing that on purpose to make this blog a little more enjoyable, unpredictable and inspiring. And yes, I will showcase some of my achievements because if I can achieve the impossible, so can you!

When I started instrument flight training at American Winds Flight Academy here in Akron, OH, I decided to apply for a scholarship on a whim to help pay for expenses. My thinking at that time was, "you never know."

Well, based on that "you never know" thinking, I ended up winning a $2500 scholarship from the National Air Transportation Association!

It was the first time in my life I had ever won anything. No matter how many times I put my business card in the basket at the local restaurant (hoping to win a free dinner) or applied for a scholarship, I never managed to "win anything".... until now.

That's why I was pleasantly surprised to receive a letter from The National Air Transportation Association announcing me as one of their 2006 scholarship recipients. They even posted my photo and bio on their website - click here (scroll down the page until you see Stephen J. Hopson).

Thanks goes to the following people who wrote a recommendation letter for me: Jason Barton, Kim Stubenvoll, Terri Couls and Rick Billington. Thank you!!

Contrary to what you might think, I won't see any of this money. It will go straight to the above mentioned flight school and deservedly so. They believed in me when no one else would.

This goes to prove that when you have a dream and you have no idea how you will pay for it, the dream will manifest no matter how many obstacles you will have to overcome.

If you have a passion for your dream, are willing to entertain the possibilities, act on your intuition and remember who helped you along the way, the universe will provide. Trust me! If it can happen to me, it can happen to you too!