Immigrating from the Philippines to America to Become a Flight Attendant

I’m Annegela, and I’m going to share with you how I was able to get my dream job. I was born and raised in the Philippines. I grew up in two separate households, my mom’s and my dad’s. At the age of 7, my father left the country in search of a better life in America. 

We didn’t get to him for another 2 years. 

I grew up with my mom and her partner in the Philippines. Our life in the Philippines was challenging yet we still considered ourselves luckier than most. 

My dad left to go to America and he came back every year. Every year he would promise that he’ll take us to America. Then 3 months after I turned 17 I was on the plane to America, like he said. At first, I was excited but at the same time, I was scared. 

My Chance at the American Dream

America is portrayed to us as the land of hopes and dreams. I am about to embark on a new chapter of my life and a part of me has been waiting for this moment. 

When I moved to the United States I spoke English but wasn’t confident enough to speak it out loud. I was eager to get a job and start working on my American dream. 

I started working a month after I turned 18 with Shake Shack and was introduced to the hospitality industry. The company inspired me to pursue a degree in hospitality.

That is why I chose my degree when I was deciding to go to college at the age of 20. When I went back to school I wanted to become a flight attendant. You don’t have to get a degree to be one but I wanted to get a degree to honor my father’s hardship in bringing us to the states. 

Flight attendant job openings were hard to come by at the time. During my 3rd year of college a door opened up for me at an airline and I applied. I got an interview but didn’t pursue it because I had a degree to finish. 

Eventually, another door opened up for me in customer service for a major U.S. carrier. I applied and got the job! I left Shake Shack and put my foot in the door of the airline industry. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The world felt smaller because my dream job was at my fingertips and I never felt any happier. That’s when I truly knew that this is where I wanted to be! 

My American Dream was Taken From Me

In 2019, I was juggling 2 jobs and was in my senior year in college. I graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2020 but didn’t get to walk the aisle at my graduation because of the pandemic. I had to leave my airline job and go back to Shake Shack during the pandemic. It was rough but I still worked hard and became a store manager after a year. I stayed with Shake Shack until 2022. 

In November of 2021, the airline industry opened its doors for aspiring flight attendants and I sent my application in, but only a few responded. My old company invited me for a face-to-face interview, and I flew to do so. After a week of waiting they rejected me and asked me to reapply after a few months when the position becomes available again. I was heartbroken.

I thought I had it, but I kept going forward and applied to additional airlines and still got rejected. In February of 2022, I received another face-to-face interview from another major U.S. carrier. I went and did my best and hoped that I would get the job and after 5 days I got a rejection email. 

After I got the rejection email, I received an invitation from my old airline to come and see them again for a face-to-face interview once more. At the time I was losing hope and told myself that I’ve received so many rejections in the past 4 months that if I don’t get this job I would take it as a sign to give it a rest for a year and then try again.

Pursuing my Flight Attendant Dream Job

I flew to Houston a day before my vacation to do this interview. And when I left Houston, I left with an invitation to join the company once again and train to be one of their finest flight attendants. I was happy and scared once again, I couldn’t believe it and I hoped that I wasn’t dreaming. 

In May of 2022, I began training for my wings. I spent 6 and a half weeks loaded with long days of hard work to earn my very own set of wings. Today, I am currently a flight attendant and working my dream job! The world is smaller because any city is at my fingertips once again I have never felt any happier. 

I’m embarking on another journey of my life and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen as I continue to step outside of my comfort zone. Thank you for letting me share my story and I hope this encourages someone to never give up on their dreams, remember what’s yours will find its way to you. 

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