Dreams can come true only if you believe

Regina Kiragu’s love for piloting blossomed at a young age. And despite not going to an aviation school immediately after high school she did not let the dream fester. Regina Kiragu, a student at 99s Flying School, didn’t let her piloting dream die in spite of the many obstacles that stood in her way. The marketing and Public relations graduate from Daystar university desired so bad to be a pilot. Her dream was born out of escorting her mother to the airport as a baby many times. “My mum used to travel a lot at that time , and of course being a last born girl I was a mummy’s girl so escorting her to the airport was mandatory for me cause I definitely would miss her but more so I got to see the big aircrafts. “The feeling was something I can’t describe up to date and being a student still, the feelings increase because the desire to be in one of them one day gets so real,” she told Airspace. She knew from this early age she was destined to being a pilot. And she made it clear to all and sundry. From her family and friends to her teachers in high school. “I schooled in Precious Blood Riruta and no matter how many career talks we had, my love for the skies never grew an inch less; in fact I blossomed.” Upon finishing her secondary school studies, Kiragu enrolled at Daystar Univeristy under the instigation of her father who never explained to her why he loathed her career choice. “I made it clear I wanted to join flying school but my dad was always against it for reasons I never really understood. So I had to join university, I joined Daystar and did marketing and Public relations under Communications. It wasn’t the best of days for me especially seeing my peers venture into a dream I had longed for. However I made it through and graduated and I knew there was nothing more left of me but to insist on this career.” Upon graduation she still insisted on joining aviation school to pursue her dream. “After tough negotiations, I joined 99s Flying School in April 2020. Unfortunately Covid-19 derailed many things at this point but nothing stopped the reggae for me. We had online class and so far , the experience is worth the while.” It is while studying at 99s that Kiragu found out aviation is not as easy as it looks and that moreso for a woman the expectations are high. “As a woman, challenges are obviously present because for the longest time , being a pilot has been seen a “manly” career so the expectations for woman are high. The career is not as easy as it looks. I got to understand it more and a lot of passion and determination is required.” For Kiragu it is a fulfillment of her dreams having joined the school and pursuing aviation. For her there is no looking back. Aviation is one of the most amazing careers. No one should give up on it,” she says.