“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
Since I was young, I always had a desire to help and inspire others in any capacity. Growing up in a single-parent home and watching my mother work as hard as she did in a factory as the only female employee while battling breast cancer, was painful but inspiring.
My mom always said, “I want you to go to school, get an education, and focus on your career so that you don’t find yourself where I am.” As a second-generation Latina, it is important for me to be a voice and role model to other females.
Having the opportunity to be a part of the American Airlines family has been such a blessing. I love the roles I’ve been in, and the growth that has come from each of them, but more importantly I’m most proud of being President of our Latin Diversity Network EBRG in CLT. The opportunities it has allowed me with reaching our future leaders of all ethnicities and backgrounds, especially our young Latin leaders. Knowing that I’m relatable to them and that we can share many similar stories on how we grew up makes me work ten times harder because it allows them to see that they too have the potential to achieve so much and that they aren’t the stereotype that society has created them to be.
Being able to share my story and how I had to “start over” when it came to my career path at the age of 30 makes for great conversation. While it was challenging, it was ever so worth it and important others hear how our trials and tribulations mold us into better people and that it’s never too late to start something new.
Being a part of the Emerging Business Leaders Program has been such an amazing experience. I’ve learned about different areas of business and leadership from all the amazing speakers we’ve had throughout the program and have learned so much from the leaders in my class. Being selected for this program has been such a humbling experience, and I am forever grateful to my leaders who see so much potential in me.
Darline Diaz works for American Airlines as a duty manager, overseeing airport customer experience administration. You can connect with Darline on LinkedIn.
