I became a pilot after arriving as a child refugee

Dear Delyara, I arrived in the UK at eleven with one backpack and a fear of airplanes because the flight had carried me away from everyone familiar. Years later, during a school visit to an airport, a female pilot allowed me to sit briefly in the cockpit. She explained the controls and told me fear could coexist with learning. I never forgot her. Becoming a pilot required improving my English, passing medical examinations, earning qualifications, working airport jobs, and saving for flight hours. I failed one practical test after freezing during an emergency simulation. I trained again and passed. Today, I completed my first commercial flight as a first officer. Before passengers boarded, I placed my hand on the controls and remembered the child gripping an airplane seat, believing flight meant only loss. My mother was on board. When we landed, she remained seated until most passengers had left, then touched the aircraft doorway and kissed my forehead. The machine that once carried us into exile has become the place where my hands help other people arrive.