Lexi Royster stood at the foot of her greatest fear — and faced it.
Royster, deathly afraid of heights, was at the bottom of a fire department ladder truck with the 100-foot ladder fully extended, nothing but blue sky above and cement below.
“C’mon on, Lexi,” Gilbert Police Officer Dani Covey yelled as Royster started a steady ascension on the ladder. Some of Royster’s teammates in Aspire Academy — a four-day immersive experience for girls ages 14 to 18 to learn about public-safety careers and take up some of the training challenges associated with police and fire — also offered encouragement.
