Aspiring pilot Ezekiel Redinger a dynamic student at TEC at Bryant
Ezekiel Redinger is ready for takeoff.
The TEC at Bryant senior and aspiring pilot has been on the runway, waiting to receive his high school diploma.
Redinger will begin to reach altitude at Central Washington University, where he’ll begin his aviation education this fall.
“I want to fly commercial planes, see the world,” Redinger said. “I’d like to fly to countries for missionary work.”
He’s on the right track.
Redinger, who carries a 3.5 GPA and was also taking college courses, has had an affinity for aviation since he was a 5-year-old onlooker at a Fairchild Air Force Base air show.
“He has had his sights on being a pilot for as long as I can remember him,” TEC counselor Sara Duval said.
Planes are just a drop in the bucket of Redinger’s interests, though.
A young man of strong Christian faith, Redinger has long been a youth leader at his church, regularly attending virtual Bible studies during the coronavirus pandemic.
He also snowboards, reads “Avengers” comic books – The Flash is his favorite superhero – and collects action figures.
TEC (The Enrichment Cooperative) is a Spokane public school, partnering with the parents of home-schooled students, giving students like Redinger an experience of both worlds.
The school, located on the campus of Bryant School on North Ash Street, will have a virtual graduation this year, according to Redinger.
He’ll miss it, but he’s ready for the next chapter in Ellensburg.
“It was phenomenal,” he said of TEC. “The teachers made an effort to make sure I was successful. Since it was so small, it gave a sense of community I wouldn’t have received at a larger high school.”
TEC will miss Redinger, too.
“The thing about Zeke is he will ask you how you are, and he really wants to know,” Duval said. “It is not just a thing he says to start a conversation.
“He is genuine and cares about people around him. I know he is going to be greatly missed at TEC for his leadership, laugh, compassion and love for others.”