Community Connection

I chose my aunt Julie for someone who’s job I’ve been interested about, my auntie Julie is a flight attendant just like my mom and they both inspire me so much. I decided to choose my aunt instead of my mom to see and have a better understanding of what it’s like to be a flight attendant from another persons perspective. I grew up with my mom leaving every single week to go across the world to a whole different country, I always knew that’s what she did, but as I grew older I realized  being a flight attendant isn’t just all about traveling and going on planes.

I asked to interview my aunt and have asked her few questions that’ll help me get a better understanding about her job.

-Why are you passionate about your job?
I have always loved experiencing different cultures and places around the world. This job allows me to travel to many different parts of the continent as well as experience people and culture. We learn through our senior colleagues or by our own experiences what different cultures like and dislike, what is appropriate and inappropriate, what is welcomed and frowned upon. It is very interesting to see all these differences and knowing that differences are a beautiful thing when understood and respected properly.
We also work with many incredible colleagues. We work with different colleagues almost every time we fly. Most of us come from many different backgrounds and stories. We work as a team and with a smile. Our work environment is always positive and we all try to make our work fun so therefore does not feel like work.

-What obstacles have you faced to get you where you are today?
My job requires me to be around many people all the time communicating constantly. As an introverted shy personality, it was a challenge for me to face fear of standing in front of the passengers and briefing them on safety features and making announcements. I really had to press in and get out of my comfort zone in the beginning to be that approachable yet authoritative (at times when I need to be) person.

-What advise would you pass on to someone interested in what you are doing?
You can consider the benefits of travelling, flexible work schedule, exploring different culture and food, learning about world and culture…and more. Also the difficulties that comes with this job, which is abnormal sleep and eating patterns, lack of sleep, having to be away from home many days at a time, high stress due to some conflicts or emergency situations…and more.

-Would you be open to further contact from Riverside students and if so, how can someone contact you?
I am open to further contact by your school. Best way to reach me is by my email. cokiana@gmail.com.

-How did your job change you personally?
My job definitely allowed me to have a broader perspective of this world. I have been exposed to wealthy countries as well as very poor parts of the world. I have been to beautiful places where everyone wants to capture it’s beauty in the camera as well as the parts of the world so chaotic and ugly due to the face of war. If my job didn’t allow me, I may have never or had less chance to see and feel the needs of the less fortunate people in this world. I may have been in a bubble consumed with only my needs but seeing the injustice, broken and abused made me step in, even only in a very small ways, to try to help.

-What is something you look forward to when you go to work?
I look forward to learning new things. Sometimes it’s learning about new tricks at work with limited resources. It’s incredible how people can come up with ideas using only what we have on board. We make hot water pads with empty water bottle, froth milk in a empty bottle to make cappuccino for ourselves, warm up baby bottles in a clean waste bag, make kids toys using cups and swizzle sticks, make sinus reliever with hot towel and cups…etc. Sometimes it’s learning about different culture as flights to different destinations require different expectations. Sometimes it’s simply the new food we try at our layovers.

This interview helped me learn many new things that makes me even more interested to becoming a flight attendant. For example, the way you get to learn about the different cultures to life hacks on the plane.