Born in 1983 in Sierra Vista, Arizona, Jessica has learned to live her life with her feet. There were many questions at the time about whether Jessica could live a “normal” life. However, Jessica’s father has said he never shed a tear about her birth condition. He had complete confidence in her potential. With the support of her parents and family, Jessica became confident in herself as an adult and continued to explore the world with her feet.

Jessica’s parents eventually met a Taekwondo instructor named Jim Cunningham. When told of Jessica’s birth condition, he responded that she would be more than physically able to participate and that only her attitude could hold her back. At 14, Jessica earned her first black belt in the International Taekwondo Federation.

After graduating high school, Jessica attended the University of Arizona, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology. When talking about her degree, she frequently explains that psychology credits how people think with a more significant impact on their lives than a physical limitation.

During college, Jessica joined an ATA Martial Arts club and resumed training in Taekwondo. Even though Jessica already had one black belt in a different style, she had to relearn new material for the ATA system. The instructors created a standardized curriculum accessible to any future armless students. Jessica became the first armless person to earn a black belt in the ATA.

Jessica’s most famous accomplishment was learning how to fly. It took three states, four airplanes, three flight instructors, and three years to find the right aircraft: a 1946 415C Ercoupe Airplane. In 2008 Jessica earned her Light Sport Pilot Certificate. She received the Guinness World Record for being the first person certified to fly an airplane with only their feet in 2011.

In May 2012, Jessica married in the beautiful city of South Pasadena, CA. In the fall of that same year, Jessica became a Goodwill Ambassador for Humanity and Inclusion, a Nobel Peace Prize winning NGO. She advocated for disability rights in Ethiopia, the Philippines, Nepal, and the US Senate.

Flying continues to be a passion for Jessica as she attends many of the most significant aviation events in the world. She has been recognized for numerous awards, including Inspiration International from the Inspiration Awards for Women, UK, and a distinguished speaker award from Egypt’s President at the World Youth Forum in 2019.

In 2019, a generous fan donated a 1946 415C Ercoupe with tail number N26R (“two-six-romeo”) for Jessica’s use. With an 85 horsepower engine, two seats for a pilot and a copilot/passenger, a cruising speed of around 90 miles per hour, and a flying time of a little over three hours, N26R is a fair-weather airplane designed primarily for local daytime flights. Because of the performance limitations, Jessica plans to build The Impossible Airplane, a 200 mph four-seat RV-10 airplane with custom controls for Jessica to use.