Welcome to Stories from the Runway. The Beacon series in which we sit down with aviation professionals and talk through the ins and outs of the industry.

Today, we interview Envoy Maintenance Technician, Hazel. Hazel tells us about how she landed in the aviation industry and what her experience has been like in this predominantly male-occupied field.
‍
As with many of her colleagues, Hazel got her start at Aviation Career & Technical Education High School, a specialized trade school located in Queens, New York. At first, Aviation High wasn't her top option, but when she didn't get into her preferred High School, she thought she'd give Aviation High a shot.
‍
In the first year at Aviation High, the students start with a series of shop classes - intro to woodworking, electrical, sheet metal, sewing - which you rotate through as the year progresses. After the first semester, Hazel found that she was a natural within these classes. Not only did she excel, but she also enjoyed them. This propelled her to keep going.

Fast forward five years later, and Hazel now works at Envoy. She tells us she was very nervous about starting and she knew that many of her colleagues would be men. But when she went in for her first day of training she was pleased to see that three other women were joining the team as well. Since then, even more women Technicians have joined the team.
‍
However, it wasn't always this way. When Hazel first considered joining the aviation industry, she had little support from her community.

"I grew up around people with old beliefs about how a woman should act and work. I have family members that are still against my occupation. They believe that it shouldn't be a woman's job, that 'it's only for men.' I was determined to go against them. Thankfully, my mom started supporting me more once I got a job."

That feeling of pride in her work paired with the camaraderie on her team is what Hazel says makes the industry so unique.
‍
"At the end of the day, I know the job that I'm doing is important to me and to the people that get on the flights."