A Legacy of Smiles

From the time I was very young, I remember that my mother would sometimes leave home quickly... She'd appear dressed in a strange but elegant outfit, usually with something wrapped around her neck, and always with a suitcase in tow. She would kiss me goodbye and say, "I love you, and I'll be back soon," before she headed out the door.

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At the time, I didn't understand where my mother was going or if she would actually come back! I always knew that when she inevitably returned, she'd always have a smile and would spend time regaling me with stories of her incredible adventures.

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When I was about to turn five, my mother stopped going away as much and stayed at home more and more. She would sleep on the couch for long hours, and we would watch movies together. It was nice to be around my mother more, but I didn't understand why she was home so much now.

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Then while I was in kindergarten, my mother started to look different. Her skin seemed to lose its brightness, her voice seemed shaky, and her hair seemed to vanish overnight. The only thing that didn't change about my mother was her smile — the same smile she always had when she would return from her adventures and see me.

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Just nine days after my sixth birthday, my mother, Kathy Vogler Manning, passed away on July 4th, 2002. At the time, I didn't understand that my mother was battling melanoma skin cancer. Extensive chemotherapy treatments had exhausted her physically and had not resulted in remission.

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I learned a lot about my mother and her life's legacy as I grew older. My grandmother worked for Piedmont Airlines in Cargo Accounting, and together with my grandfather, they traveled the world together. My grandparents would take my mother and her sister along on these adventures, and this is where my mother found a love for travel. My mother's sister even married a mechanic for US Airways, so you could truly say that the aviation industry has always been prevalent in my family.

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Eventually, my mother earned her nursing degree and started working as a nurse. As she detailed in her diary, though, she longed to travel the world again, so she decided to apply to? Piedmont Airlines ?and, after a rigorous interview process, was accepted into their program.

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I came to know that the reason my mother left frequently was that she was a Flight Attendant. ??

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My mother worked for several years with Piedmont before flowing through as a mainline flight attendant for US Airways, where she remained until her passing in 2002. She detailed in her diary the trials and tribulations of the job, the long hours, the being away from family, and the extensive training. That said, she would always write about how incredible it was to see the world and experience a new place.

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Once I turned 13, I helped my father access the flight privileges that US Airways had graciously provided us after my mother's passing. We received retiree benefits, and as my aunt explained, I could utilize these benefits to travel until I turned 24.

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It didn't take me long to start enjoying the travel benefits! At 13, I took my first solo trip from North Carolina to Florida to visit my cousin. By the time I was 18, I regularly flew standby to places like New York and Los Angeles; I even had the opportunity to bring along some of my friends on buddy passes!

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While I was in college,? US Airways (now American Airlines) ?and American Airlines merged, and I now had access to fly on what had become the largest airline in the world. I even applied for an internship with the new American Airlines in 2016 but was sadly not accepted into the program. However, this never discouraged me from continuing to explore a career in aviation; I understood how desirable it was to work for a company like American Airlines.??

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I used my travel benefits heavily in college to travel the world. I experienced my first international trip in 2016 when I flew to Italy. I traveled to unique places like the UK, Spain, Peru, and Croatia with friends. In 2018, I even traveled solo to Japan, which has become one of my favorite travel destinations.

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While in college, I started work in the automotive sector with Tesla in New York. After graduation, I moved to the Dallas/Fort Worth area for work, which, little did I know, was the headquarters for American Airlines. I then started a career with Porsche a few months later. I didn't have nearly as much time to use my flight privileges, but when I did, I longed to travel even more.

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Inevitably, I turned 24, and my flight privileges expired. I was devastated because I had become accustomed to the lifestyle of being able to travel anywhere in the world anytime I wanted to. From that day forward, I knew I needed to explore working in the aviation industry. The only airline I would even consider working for was American Airlines — the airline that had kept me flying and the airline of my mother's past.

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Early in 2021, I met several leaders from American Airlines who encouraged me to apply. I knew immediately from talking with them that it was time to move toward a career in the aviation industry. I faced a difficult choice because I had found success at Porsche, but I knew in my heart that it was the decision I wanted to make long-term for my career.

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I started applying with American Airlines again in February of 2021 and reconnected with the leaders I had already met via LinkedIn. I first applied for two separate positions in sales and interviewed twice for each. But I was still not selected for either role. I applied for several other positions in Marketing, Partnerships, and even Analytics – but to no avail. At one point, I realized I had applied for seven different jobs and began to think I would never work in the airline industry. I never got discouraged, though; I knew my mother had applied many times to her roles at Piedmont and US Airways before she was accepted – she struggled, but she ultimately persevered.

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I kept in touch with managers from the Sales team, and by October 2021, I had my final interviews for a role as a Corporate Sales Manager at American Airlines. I received a call offering me the position while on a 3,000-mile solo cross-country road trip. I remember pulling over to the side of the road out of excitement and letting out a scream of joy as soon as I hung up the phone. I was truly honored by the opportunity, and I quickly accepted the position and started at American in November 2021.

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I have been at American Airlines for just over a year and recently accepted a promotion to Analyst Account Manager for the largest strategic sales accounts we manage. I currently work with online travel agencies and metasearch engine partners, managing relationships with companies such as Priceline, Hopper, and Kayak.

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I'm proud of the work I do every day, and I know it makes a difference across our organization. I am motivated by my colleagues and inspired by our company's mission to care for people on life's journey. I now know the feeling my mother had when she would come home and still be smiling after her day at work.??

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I can only hope my mother, Kathy is proud of me, too.????