Hassanah Al-Saba, Jamaica

Hassanah Al-Saba is a commercial pilot from Jamaica who loves the beach and ice cream. She completed her training at the Aeronautical School of the West Indies and distinguishes herself as Jamaica’s first Muslim female pilot. She is now 25 years old. 

In this episode, Hassanah discusses the importance of perseverance and commitment in paving her life’s path… her interest in becoming a pilot when she was a young girl… loving the feeling of flying… her parents support at a young age, tempered by pragmatism about choosing studies that would yield job security… in her late teens, understanding that flight training was costly and that, at the time, there was no approved flight training available in Jamaica… beginning to study computer science in university and applying to become an air traffic controller… the establishment of the Aeronautical Club of the West Indies and her involvement with the club… continuing to pursue her dream of becoming a pilot with the help of scholarships and part-time jobs while studying… achieving her goal… her commitment to observing other people and learning from their mistakes… the fact that she has not experienced discrimination in her field because of her gender and has, in fact, been supported and encouraged by male colleagues… the experience and responsibilities of actually piloting a plane… how amazing women are in our resilience and our strength… the importance of looking within and knowing that your empowerment comes from yourself… and her closing reminder to us all–“Your career also doesn't define you…I am so much more than a pilot… I found that a lot of people have tied their self-worth to their career. I've seen that and I've again decided I don't want that for myself. I hope other people can also know that that one thing doesn't have to define you. You are worthy as you are.”