What do you want to be when you grow up?

“An aerospace engineer. I like physics. It’s what I want to do – which is dealing with projectiles, building missiles and calculating distance. It seems like it would be really fun to work on planes and jets and missiles and all of that.” – Morgan Perry of Madison

Morgan Perry looks up to her older brother and admires her young nephew. (Tamika Moore / People of Alabama)

Tyler, her older brother, helped her come to her decision. She calls him one of the biggest influences in her life.

“I’ve always looked up to my older brother – saw how good of grades he had, how good of a person he is, how smart he is. I kind of wanted to follow in his footsteps. And then there’s my nephew, he’s 2, who has really taught me a lot about caring for somebody – what it feels to actually love somebody and have somebody love you back and genuinely care for you and feel safe in your presence and your arms.”

These are the faces and stories of people from all walks of life who call Alabama home. People of Alabama is a Red Clay Media and Alabama News Center partnership.