It didn't take long for 1st Lt. Diana Dillard to recall the moment her career in aviation began to really take off.

After earning an "A" for the semester in a class in the aviation technology program at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, Dillard was invited to take a free flight in a Cessna above the skies of the Puget Sound, commandeered by teacher and part-time flight instructor Jeff Coleman.

"As soon as I got that free flight in the Cessna, I was hooked," said Dillard, now a pilot with the 8th Airlift Squadron at McChord Field.  

Dillard's aviation career came full circle on March 10, as she hosted a visit from a group of students in the aviation technology program at Emerald Ridge. After the students gathered in a briefing room at the 8th AS headquarters to start the day, Dillard told her story of moving up the aviation ladder, from her experience in the Air Force ROTC program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz., to her time in pilot training. Other squadron members also took the stage and spoke about their varied paths that led them to a career in the Air Force.

"I wish we did something like this (pilot panel) when I was in (high school)," said Dillard, who graduated from Emerald Ridge in 2004. "It was kind of hard for me to find some of the information I needed for my career when I was involved in ROTC."

Lt. Col. Stephen Ritter, the 8th AS commander who's son is in the aviation program at ER, initially contacted Coleman about getting the class out for a visit to McChord. He knew Dillard had gone through the program and thought it would be neat to pair her up to lead the tour.

The fact a former student was leading the tour was a huge plus, Coleman said.

"I don't think (Dillard) thought it was as big a deal as I do, but there is so much power in having a former student tell other students that there was a day that they sat in that same seat," said Coleman, who's taught the aviation technology program since the school opened in 2000.

Coleman could see Dillard's dedication and drive early on in her high school career, and isn't surprised by her success in the Air Force.

"She's one of those kids who would have been doing this regardless of where she went to high school," he said. "She's very intelligent and hard-working in terms of studying. Her senior year she was in Running Start; she knew where she was going."

Dillard's experience and sheer presence made a valuable impact on some of the female students on the trip.

"I think that's a very valuable piece that I can't address," Coleman said. "It was neat ... I saw her having a talk on the side with some of the girls in our program."  

In addition to a welcome and a squadron briefing by Ritter, students got to experience the base control tower, a static walkthrough of a C-17 Globemaster III and a flight in the base's flight simulator.

"They get to have fun and get exposed to some different career options," said Dillard, 23, who requested McChord as her first duty station. "My hope is they get excited about aviation."

Mission accomplished, according to Coleman.

"I had a lot of really good feedback from students," he said. "We have a great time every year when we do it. It's a very valuable experience."