by Bruce Estes

Cherish Bruce is one of our newest board members. Cherish will provide a unique perspective to our EAA Chapter because of her age, as she is seventeen years old.

I met Cherish when EAA hosted the chapter Ford Tri-motor Event in June of 2015. She worked hard on Jim Hughes’s ground crew. I was impressed. And then, Cherish and one of her friends showed up on a Saturday morning at 7:00 to help with Airfest last year. I was again impressed. I
don’t know many teenagers that will rise that early on a Saturday morning for any reason, but Cherish is not your typical teenager.

Cherish “tested out” to graduate from high school last year, completing high school in just a year and a half. Cherish now attends Sierra Junior College, where she will major in Philosophy. Her goal is to be a college professor teaching metaphysics.

Cherish had an early interest in pageantry. She was introduced to pageantry by her mother when Cherish was five years old. Cherish feels that pageantry has helped her to grow and overcome her shyness. Pageantry is also what got Cherish out to a Young Eagles event. Cherish has won many awards including Jr. Teen Miss Lincoln and Jr. Teen Miss Placer County United States, and Miss Teen Roseville. Through pageantry, Cherish typically does 100 hours a year of community service.

A few years ago Cherish was able to take a Young Eagles flight and fell in love with aviation. Our EAA Chapter is one way that Cherish can get
more exposure to aviation. She recently got her driver’s license so she is now able to participate more in EAA. Among other things, Cherish is
going to head up EAA Chapter 1541’s youth scholarship committee. She joined the board this past January and adds a new dimension to the board with her desire to focus on youth and aviation. Welcome to the our board of directors and thanks for stepping up to the challenge.