Blakelee Holt, 7, says one day, she'd like to take her own helicopter out for a spin.

By the time I was in about fifth grade, I had already decided that I wanted to be a writer and editor. With a house full of younger siblings, I quickly put that dream into action and appointed them jobs as the staff writers for my family newspaper (of course appointing myself the editor and manager).

My type-A personality kicked into gear and I assigned them stories to write, interviews to conduct and compiled a subscriber database (mom, dad, grandma, grandpa and a few aunts and uncles). And if they didn’t meet their deadlines … well, I think Mom probably intervened before I could instate any sort of real consequence.

Now, the Hosticka Gazette was a short-lived publication, mainly because my staff wasn’t nearly as interested in writing (or being bossed around) as I was in editing (and being the boss). But my interest in journalism and publishing held out.

I went on to publish short stories in children’s magazines during middle and early high school, worked on my high school and college newspaper staffs and eventually ended up where I am today — editing a magazine and loving it.

Now I say all this to show that a person’s interests as a child truly can spiral into a life-long passion and career. I loved reading from the time I was very young and it led to a love of writing.

This month, I had the chance to interview 7-year-old Blakelee Holt and her mother, Latasha Holt-Bocksnick, for our cover story about Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s Angel One helicopter. Blakelee has spent a significant amount of time at ACH and has been transported by the helicopter.

Blakelee has a spunky and outgoing personality and it was so fun to watch her interact with the Angel One crew and take photos with them. By the end of the evening, she was telling us how she had decided she was going to be a helicopter pilot.

I know that kids go through phases and by no means is every adult in a career that spiraled from a childhood dream. But, I still think it’s really neat to see how childhood experiences can shape what people end up doing as adults.

For example, my mom always had us helping in the kitchen as kids, and now my sister is in culinary school.

What are your kids passionate about? Encourage their hobbies, because you never know when a hobby could become a job and a job become a lifelong career.

And maybe someday we’ll all hear about Blakelee the helicopter pilot.