Sometimes being stubborn is a good thing. That was especially true for me in the early 1980s, when I decided to become a pilot. I wanted to be a doctor first, but developed an interest in flight from my mother, who worked at Miami International Airport (MIA) after we emigrated from Argentina.
Even with a connection to the industry, I encountered many people who didn’t think a woman should be in command of a commercial aircraft. I decided to prove them wrong.
That effort started with a love of learning. I grew up speaking Spanish, and after moving to the United States, learned English and French. Those skills helped me earn a position with a military contractor, where I built up flight time as a C-130 First Officer and a Boeing 707 Captain. American hired me in 1988 as a flight engineer on the Boeing 727. And ever since, I’ve been fortunate to climb the ranks of a company that has always embraced diversity and supported my pursuit of new opportunities. I’ve been a First Officer on five different types of aircraft, a Captain on three and a Check Airman on two – most recently, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. That means I not only fly the plane, I instruct and evaluate other pilots who want to do the same. To say the journey has been humbling would be an understatement, especially considering there are still relatively few female pilots to this day.
People ask me if I’ve hit roadblocks along the way. And the truth is, I have. But not from the company, colleagues or customers. The challenge was balancing career and family. My husband was a lifelong pilot for Japan Airlines. So trying to coordinate schedules was hard, especially as I climbed the ladder. When I was pregnant with my first child, I wasn’t allowed to fly due to federal regulations. By the time I was pregnant with my second, the rules had changed. Either way, I was determined to never short-change myself, and always strive for more.
As we recognize Women’s History Month, I hope my story is a good reminder that you can always aim for excellence no matter the circumstances. But don’t expect perfection, and most importantly, don’t forget to take care of yourself and lean on your support system. By the way, my love of learning hasn’t stopped. I hold a graduate degree in education, learned Sanskrit and am now in the process of learning Mandarin since we serve Asia with the Boeing 787. And my mother, now 86, is still working at MIA. I guess we’re both stubborn. On behalf of American and my more than 100,000 colleagues, thanks for flying with us today.