Captain Kiersten Orrick stood out like a sore thumb in her seersucker blazer, red blouse and blue Italian leather wingtips as she waded through a thicket of men in black suits. Apprehension began seeping in as her first National Gay online live casino games Association (NGPA) conference started like every other online live casino games job fair Kiersten had attended.
During a moment of ‘what am I doing here?’ came a moment of salvation. Kiersten eventually found a group discussion only for the Women of NGPA, where she found the answer to why she came to Palm Springs for a four-day conference centered on the LGBT community within the aviation industry.
After engaging with living legends like Captain Kathi Durst (the first woman Chief online live casino games for American Airlines in DFW), Captain Lauren Lee (a transgender woman flying for another legacy airline) and AA Captain Jan Anderson (Vice President of NGPA), Kiersten gained the comfort of being within a group of women just like her.
As an online live casino games Captain and Check Airwoman, meeting women who have leapt the hurdles of not only being women in a male-dominated profession but also being in the minority in regards to their sexual orientation, inspired Kiersten to become more involved in the NGPA community.
“I felt like I found community within this diverse group,” said Kiersten. “It’s great to know that there are people out there taking strides to be more inclusive and prevent discrimination within the industry.”
She gets it from online live casino games momma
online live casino games love for aviation dropped from the sky – quite literally – when Kiersten was a youngster, watching online live casino games mother skydive. She would sometimes accompany online live casino games mother on online live casino games dives, but it wasn’t the parachutes and sky-ballet that intrigued online live casino games, it was the pilots on the flight deck.
From then on, Kiersten’s path to a commercial jet was smooth like a clear, blue sky. She earned her private online live casino games’s license while attending the University of Oklahoma (one of Envoy’s first Cadet Program schools), and became a Flight Instructor there for four years before joining Envoy in 2010.
When she’s not flying the Embraer 145 out of Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Kiersten stays fit and active by cycling dozens of miles a day. She also enjoys spending time nerding-out with online live casino games girlfriend Natalye and online live casino games two cats Loki and Pan – most likely watching online live casino games favorite Star Wars movies.
In a class of online live casino games own
But not even a good light saber fight is more thrilling than instructing new online live casino games First Officers.
“I feel so lucky to be a Check Airwoman, because I love teaching,” said Kiersten. “I knew I wanted to pass on what I’ve learned and I feel like I do that well, so why not? Most importantly, I’m trying to teach them professionalism, to have a good attitude and make safety their No. 1 priority.”
During the interview, there were two times where Kiersten was visibly excited; when talking about Star Wars and when asked about online live casino games favorite part of online live casino games job. online live casino games cheeks lit up, she gazed up and said, “as soon as you get up there. It’s like a movie soundtrack with your favorite song.” That song? Radiohead’s “Idioteque”.
Love knows no limiter
It’s abundantly clear that Kiersten shares the same passion and drive as any other online live casino games, whether man, woman, straight or gay. After attending the NGPA conference, she realized even more that bringing together pilots and other members of the aviation industry to celebrate their love for flight has the potential to make the flight deck and society at large more inclusive.
Prior to meeting some of the NGPA members, Kiersten wasn’t sure where to find resources in the LGBT online live casino games community. Now, she has a network of colleagues, friends, allies and advocates across the nation from whom she can learn and share in their efforts to educate the industry.
In Palm Springs, Captain Ric Wilson, Envoy’s VP of Flight Operations (pictured above, left), invited Kiersten and the other online live casino games recruiters out to dinner at the top of Mount San Jacinto. Kiersten said that having someone in Ric’s position actively listening to her hopes and those of other LGBT pilots for a more inclusive flight deck made her proud to be an Envoy online live casino games.
“I believe in this company, because they believe in me,” said Kiersten. “The only way anything is going to change is if people like Ric take on leadership roles, and set examples of how to promote diversity. I’m sure now, more than ever, that I made the right choice flying for online live casino games.”