Earning her wings: Forest Lake grad's aviation career taking flight

Recent Forest Lake Christian graduate Jessi Dreschler has her head in the clouds – literally. A member of several teams in the Falcons' athletic department, Dreschler has a more elevated goal before she heads to California Baptist University in September. For the past year, Dreschler has been training to acquire her private pilot license by the end of the summer. To Dreschler, there is no feeling like being in the sky. "You're defying the laws of nature," she said. "It doesn't seem like this little chunk of metal should be able to fly, but once the wheels take off from the ground, you're just free. It's freedom and pure bliss. I don't have any other words to describe it." With as much time as Dreschler spends in the air, she comes off in conversation as extremely grounded. Despite all of her achievements and goals, she doesn't think her life is any more than ordinary. But how many high school students have legitimate plans to "fly down to school" when they leave home for their freshman year of college? Over the past two years, Dreschler has overcome more than just gravity while sitting in the cockpit of a Cessna 152 aircraft. Between her sophomore and junior years during competitive cheer season, Dreschler felt a tweak in her back after a backflip attempt. She later learned she had a bulging disc that caused her to miss a year of action at Forest Lake. "I was walking around in so much pain that I had to stop sports," she said. "I did physical therapy, acupuncture, but it didn't get better. It was so hard for me because so much of my personality comes from my athletic side." Over the course of a challenging year, Dreschler said her back "miraculously" started feeling better about two weeks into her senior basketball season – just in time to help the Lady Falcons make a run at the school's fourth Sac-Joaquin Section girls basketball title this past February. In the Division VI final rematch against Valley Christian Academy at Golden 1 Center, Dreschler rattled home the go-ahead free throw with 11 seconds left to secure the championship. "I am not a free-throw shooter," joked Dreschler. "I would not put any money on me shooting free throws, but we needed it and somehow it went in." Dreschler made the All-Central Valley California League second team after leading the league in rebounding. But Forest Lake had its chance to win another banner swept away by COVID-19 concerns just hours before it was supposed to tip off in Laytonville for the NorCal championship. Just like that, a high school career that saw Dreschler compete in basketball, volleyball, soccer, softball, cheer, track and tennis, was suddenly over. "High school sports is such a big part of my life with who I was and what I did," Dreschler said. "Not having a team anymore was the hardest part. I love to be on a team and have those sisters. It's been really challenging to connect with people in the same way. There just isn't a way to connect the same way." Despite losing a big part of her competitive side with the spring sports cancellations, Dreschler persevered through online schooling and graduated last week. Up next for Dreschler is more flight training, three days a week with the Auburn Aviation Association at Auburn Municipal Airport. Her next hurdle is to receive clearance from her instructor for solo flight, one step closer to obtaining her private pilot license. Once she completes a five-year civil engineering program at Cal Baptist and an eight-year commitment to the ROTC program with the Army Reserve, Dreschler has long-term goals of doing missionary flights. She also plans to minor in aviation management at CBU. "It's a passion I've found," she said. "Mixed with my religion and desire to help others, I've just found a tangible way to do it."