Riley hopes to pilot remote areas

JONESBORO — Keegan Riley dreams of owning a business flying cargo planes in the barren terrains of Alaska. 

Riley, a junior at The Academies at Jonesboro High School, hopes to start a business in Alaska to bring supplies to people in remote areas. 

“It’s important, especially in remote areas, for people in small communities to get things they need to survive,” Riley said. “It’s important to keep them, or anyone, alive.”

Even though a job like that is very important, it is very isolating and can leave people all by themselves. 

“I feel more comfortable being alone, so I need a solitary job,” Riley says. 

He goes on to talk about what he enjoys about different aircraft. A lot of the physics and mechanics fascinate him, and at some point he would like to acquire a plane of his own to work on and modify. 

“Outside of school, I’ve taken pilot classes to get hours, so I can get my license early,” Riley said. He wants to start his business as soon as he can, helping out people who need it. 

Along with aircraft, Riley loves history. He says that military flight in history is very interesting, and many flight stories can be applied to today’s world and help us improve even commercial flight.

 “It’s important to learn about the past because it helps us with the future,” Riley says.

Riley is also in the journalism class at the high school. The class works on the school newspaper. 

“Journalism is a new experience, I like to spread information, especially if it isn’t verbally,” Riley says. 

Riley thinks it important for everyone to learn all sorts of things. In the student newspaper, he would like to write about old movies and encourage people to watch them. 

“I really like old movies and how they relate to history, so I’d like to write about them and encourage people to learn.”