STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Gildersleeve Middle School 8th Grader Isaiah McClain
Pursues his passion for aviation
Posted: March 11, 2026
Isaiah McClain wants to fly, and can rattle off all of the different aircraft whose controls he would like to get his hands on.
McClain, an eighth grader at Gildersleeve Middle School, finds all the ways he can to engage with aerospace. He participates in numerous STEM--Science, Technology, Engineering and Math--activities while excelling in all areas of academics.
McClain’s very interested in what school has to offer so that he can work towards attending one of the United States military service academies for the Navy, Coast Guard or Air Force.
“I like information,” he said. “So my goal is to know as much as I can, and school is one way to do that.”
McClain is a member of the National STEM Honor Society (NSTEM), attended rocket-focused Camp Ascend during Elevate STEAM Camp last summer, and was chosen to participate in the Virginia Society for Technology in Education Annual Conference Kid Talks in December in Virginia Beach.
He is a friendly, ambitious student who has met with school administrators to propose projects that NSTEM would like to do at Gildersleeve, according to his teachers. McClain half-joked that free pizza provided big motivation for talking in front of such a large crowd at the conference.
“For the teachers, and I said this at the VSTE conference and I almost paid dearly for it in pizza,” McClain said. “But food bribes is a good way to get the children who don’t want to learn.”
In addition to food and gifts, he really likes meeting new friends. McClain has learned to adapt quickly to new environs and people. He lived internationally in Ghana from fourth through half of seventh grade and has attended public school, private school, international school and been homeschooled.
McClain’s father is an engineer and both of his parents were pilots.
“I’ve always wanted to be a pilot,” McClain said. “So they’re like OK, engineering is usually how you do that.
“I like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing but only because they have McDonnell Douglas as part of their company. Pretty much any aircraft company you can think of, I probably like it.”
McClain takes advantage of lots of other after school activities including running lights for the drama club and started football conditioning early this year. Outside of school, he enjoys eating, sleeping, playing video games and soccer.
McClain suggests that students get motivated for school by finding an educational goal.
“Find what college you want to go to, what job you want to do, and find how school can help you with that,” he said. “That’s what I did.”
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