Erin Hope Erin Hope tells why life is just starting to be good.

By Ellen Fortson

Columbia Airplane pilot at 17, Chicago marathon runner at 18, and an honor student at Duke at 20. What do you do for a second act?

“Columbia seems to change every time I come home to visit,” Hope said during her spring break from Duke University. “I often wonder if Columbia is changing, or is it me?”

Gathering articles from home to take on her trip abroad during the fall, Hope shared her enthusiasm for her travel itinerary. Nepal, Bhutan, India, and Tibet are the countries she will research for her independent study for the university. “I am fascinated with the present research on meditation, yoga, and Tibetan medicine. I will be comparing and contrasting patient treatments.”

The challenge for adventure is nothing new to Hope. Her first physical challenge in high school was personal fitness. With the help of The Firm ®, Hope mastered the aerobics program with confidence and became the youngest instructor at The Firm ®. Her colleagues were lawyers, real–estate agents, stay–at–home moms, college students, and personal trainers.

After her 17th birthday, at the suggestion from her dad, she decided to get her pilot’s license. All the concepts she had learned in physics class were finally coming to life.

“Most kids’ parents worry about them riding in cars with boys, but my friends’ parents chided, ‘Don’t you get in that airplane with Hope Hope!’” she said. “I had an unusual experience most high school seniors don’t have.’”

Her next challenge took her to the Chicago Marathon in 2003. Her father, Stewart Hope, had trained for the marathon so Hope joined him in training and qualified for the run. Her time was 3 hours and 40 minutes. In 2005, she ran in the Boston Marathon, 4 hours 3 minutes. Her mother, Heidi Hope, made a large Statue of Liberty crown for the run. Hope loved it. “It was great! So many people cheered me on. The crown turned out to be a great morale booster.”

Hope’s academic challenge started with her fascination of how the world worked when she was a little girl. She always wanted to know why. Her quest for knowledge continued throughout her formal education. Her long list of academic honors and awards from Dreher High School enhanced her achievements to a successful intellectual pursuit. Her honors in volleyball, school activities, extracurricular activities, and volunteer community work supported her efforts to become a lifelong scholar.

Hope is thinking about combining her love for fitness and medicine to become an orthopedic surgeon. Hope wants to keep her options open because she is family orientated. She wants the husband, babies, and a career.

“Columbia is beautiful by air,” Hope said. “My brother, Shannon, is a private pilot with my dad at Hope Aviation. We are a close family and we still take air trips. Travel makes the sky the limit.”