Mikaela Miles has always wanted to fly, and now she flies every day. She starts her days early, but she says that once she is in the air and sees the sunrise, she knows it’s all worth it. As a daughter of a Marine, she applied for and received a Fisher House Foundation Scholarship for Military Children scholarship which is now helping her reach her goal.
Mikaela Miles has always wanted to fly, and now she flies every day. She starts her days early, but she says that once she is in the air and sees the sunrise, she knows it’s all worth it.
As a freshman at one of the top universities for pilots, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, Mikaela is pursuing a degree in aeronautical science. She hopes to serve in the Air Force upon graduation, but she has her sights set on her long-term goal as well.
“My main goal is definitely to be an airline pilot. I think it's just, like, the coolest job. Flying a plane is just an amazing thing to me,” said Mikaela. “Just being able to travel and say, ‘I flew a plane there and helped a bunch of people either see their families or go on their vacation. I helped them get to that destination.’”
Mikaela and her older sister, Ariana, grew up near San Diego, California, with her mom, Shirl, and her dad, retired Marine Tommie Miles. Her sister is going into a medical field like her mom, who is a nurse manager. Tommy retired from the military in 2000, but his service is still impacting his family through Fisher House Foundation’s Scholarship for Military Children.
Fisher House Foundation administers the Scholarships for Military Children program in partnership with the Defense Commissary Agency. The program was created to recognize the contributions of military families to the readiness of the fighting force and to celebrate the role of the commissary in the military family community. The Foundation also sponsors the Heroes’ Legacy Scholarship for children of the fallen or service members who were seriously injured in the line of duty since 9/11 and provides a scholarship search engine that can be found at www.militaryscholar.org.
Fisher House Foundation has awarded more than $23 million in scholarships since 2000. It helped more than 1,200 students achieve their educational goals in 2023-2024. Applications for the 2024-2025 school year will open in mid-December.
“The scholarship really did mean a lot to me because at first we weren't even sure if I was going to be able to go to the school because it is pretty expensive,” she explained.
“This was another step to my goals. So yeah, it meant a lot to me,” she said.
