Whitney Clark shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Whitney, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Who are you learning from right now?
I am learning how to trust God completely and let go of controlling anything in life and my circumstances. My life has been a spiral of traumatic events leading to severe depression and I am just now finding the light. I have opened my heart, mind, and soul to his guidance and have been blessed far beyond what I could have ever hoped for.
He has opened new doors that I have never even dreamed of. Providing me a new career in aviation with an amazing instructor, Fernando Fernandez, and a great group of people to learn from at the PTC school in Miami. I never had a desire to fly but after long prayers and many nights crying I prayed for a career that would bring me excitement, growth, stability, and overall a way to help others.
He has placed the right people in my path to give me this opportunity to learn and become the best pilot I can be. He has also taught me the importance of patience. I always want and plan ahead but after being humbled by aviation and the depth of what is required in learning I am very patient in waiting until I am ready before I can even solo.
He made a way to open my heart again and let me learn from my rescued dog, Lola, who found me when I was visiting the Dominican Republic on a trip that I was not wanting to be at. I was suffering from a huge loss and had to handle personal things but this dog just laid on my feet and it was fate. I learned how to have patience in the process of getting her to the states. The support of my friends and all the people involved to help bring her here. The overall love and joy to reopen my heart after a great loss.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a former model/ entrepreneur turned pilot in training. I spent 10 years in NYC modeling before moving to Fl, where I was going to continue my career. After moving here, I had several unexpected losses of loved ones and fell into a deep deep depression. After several prayers and tears I was open to trying something new and unexpected. This opened a whole new world for me into the sky. Somehow, the pieces fell together and I met my instructor who helped map out my training. I have now done one solo flight and I am working towards my solo cross country.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child I believed that what was fair and just would always prevail. I knew right from wrong as it was ingrained into us as kids. Growing up though, I learned that the world does not always treat those that do right well and that even if you do good you will not always come out on top. I learned that this world is not meant for us to find justice and peace as that will be found in Heaven. H0owever, we should do our best to make sure people see the good and hold those accountable that do wrong! There are shades of grey that tend to distort the good/bad because people view things from their own perspective and not from a literal stance.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
There is beauty and need in suffering. While it is very hard to go through and sometimes feels like the world is caving in while you drown under a wave of emotion with no help, that true suffering is molding you. Suffering is where I renewed my relationship with Christ. This is when I was stripped away of everything left with nothing and I had to dig my way out of depression. The ONLY way I made it through was my prayers. I was angry, sad, confused, lost, and alone. Nothing would or could bring joy to my life as I had lost the love of my life to pure evil. My fiancé’ was killed, leaving me with no hope for a better future. Before losing Matt, I had a dream and vision, furthering my modeling career and making my mark in a new city. I felt successful and on top of the world but it was fleeting. I wasn’t living up to my full potential and deep down I was never going to be satisfied because of the industry itself, and the politics behind it. My loss led to unimaginable suffering that will now be a forever scar. This scar though, has changed mimicking how I have changed. I am no longer the same woman and I no longer tolerate the same things. I found a new purpose that will allow me to do good in this world, which is something we should all strive for. I have a long journey ahead to becoming a helicopter medical evacuation pilot, but it is a journey that has brought joy back into my life. The only reason I found this new calling was from my prayers being answered through tears.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I believe that this world is broken and people need to find or renew their lives with God. There has been a huge disconnect of how people treat others because we act very self centered and do not consider feelings or circumstances of others. I have found that the more we ingrain ourselves with technology and connect less one on one we are losing a valuable component in humanizing each other. This is leading to the dehumanization of others causing us to be more harsh, cruel, and evil towards one another. I am by no means a saint or the best, and I get angry but I think we need to do better as a society to reconnect. Put the phones and social media away and travel and talk to strangers and experience new things, food, people, places. Go back to the “good old days” as my parents would say. Just simply be kind to your neighbors and even talk to them once in a while. People are going through so much and I think people just need a good friend or encounter.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
I am working on a new career in aviation. This is a long journey and unknown at that. I have several new challenges ahead and I will be continuing training forever. This is a huge financial burden to start and there is no guarantee of a profit in the near or far future. It is based off of several factors as I am learning. I would not change it for the world though! It is a vision to be in a helicopter saving people’s lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nymmg.com/portfolios/whitney-clark
- Instagram: @whitney.k.clark
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-clark-128b641a/
Image Credits
Lola Clark (dog), Fernando Fernandez (flight instructor), Matthew Hale (Fiancé) with Cabrera (Close Friend)
