I Am, and I Can

An F-16 fighter pilot, Jess finds great joy and freedom in flying. As she expresses in her opening aria, “The Blue,” her self-identity is tied directly to her combat skills. When Jess is reassigned to operate a drone from a trailer in Las Vegas, she begins to question her identity, worth, and purpose.

It can be easy to equate our personal value with the value we bring to the world through our actions. That is, we can begin to see ourselves in terms of what we “do” (how we present ourselves, our goals, our work, our external value) rather than who we “are” (our identities, feelings, and beliefs). Ask students to complete the “I am, and I can” worksheet, then have them reflect on their answers and discuss with their peers.