Gloria Arevalo has already experienced the glamour of working for the airlines. She’s been a flight attendant for 10 years and is now preparing to trade up to a seat in the cockpit. She has longed for the excitement of being behind the controls and decided to take a personal leave of absence to accomplish her goals. Not only is she almost done with her Private pilot training, but she’s a senior at Utah Valley State College working on her bachelor’s degree in Aviation Science/Professional Pilot.

“It was fun, fun, fun!” she said about her flight training experience. Gloria particularly enjoyed learning about the weather. She’d spent all those years as cabin crew, never worried about the weather – that was someone else’s job. Now she finds it fascinating. “The best part is being able to do something you love. Don’t be scared about changing careers. I procrastinated – too long, probably. Now I’m addicted to flying!” she says. In 2-3 months Gloria will be ready to start her professional pilot career as a flight instructor.