Meet Dan Louise Embile who is a flight attendant. Guess what, she was rejected 15 times by the very same airline that took her in later on. Guess what, it took her 15 attempts to apply to simply one airline. After much effort on the 16th attempt to apply, she made it in. Dan’s story however was never an overnight success story. It took her a lot of tears, practice, and the will to never give up.
It took Dan 8 years to become a flight attendant. She wanted to start at the age of 16 but due to her age, she only began applying when she reached 18. Throughout that period, she faced multiple rejections for various reasons.
Dan aimed to be a flight attendant for Cebu Pacific, hence, she set her sights on them. She even worked as a ground crew for the airline just because she wanted to get in as a flight attendant. However, things did not turn out the way she hoped they would.
Losing hope was never an option
Despite all the hardships of applying as a flight attendant, Dan never lost hope. The odds were against her throughout the process however, she kept on going and going. Even though Dan’s parents were suggesting that she considers other options, however, Dan remained focused on her goal. That goal was to become a Cebu Pacific flight attendant.
Dan went on and on, taking every opportunity to move closer to her flight attendant goal. For her, every failure was an opportunity to learn. Every rejection was an experience and part of the process.
On Dan’s 16th attempt to apply as a flight attendant in Cebu Pacific, her dream finally came true. She qualified to be part of a Cebu Pacific initial training batch. The training was very hard, harder than she expected. Sleepless nights, a lot of studying, physical drills, and check rides. Dan faced this boldly until after weeks of training, she finally earned her wings.
Being rejected 15 times by one airline did not stop this flight attendant from flying.
Remaining loyal to Cebu Pacific
Dan was one of those flight attendants who were retrenched due to the lockdowns brought by the pandemic. However, Dan remained hopeful that soon, things will be back to normal. She knew that she would be recalled back to flying.
In 2022, Dan earned her wings back with Cebu Pacific. Amidst opportunities to join other airlines like Qatar Airways, Dan remained loyal to Cebu Pacific and decided to stay with the airline that first gave her her wings. It would have been an easy way to be an international flight attendant however she remained committed to Cebu Pacific. It is her biggest form of gratitude that she can give Cebu Pacific, which is to remain in the airline and to continue to be the best flight attendant that she can be.
For Dan, she owed her success to Cebu Pacific who molded her, believed in her capabilities, and saw her as one of their biggest assets.
Impossible actually means I’m possible
Dan thought everything was hopeless. Even if it seemed impossible, she never gave up. Indeed if we have a goal, pursue it like there is no other option. She did not take rejections negatively, instead, she learned from them. She had faith in herself and she believed that one day, all will come true.
This is what I want to share with all our aspirants. Rejections can be part of our process of becoming a cabin crew. This crisis is another. Many will discourage us from pursuing our flight attendant dreams however, we should not allow these to stop us. Rejections teach us a lesson. Discouragement makes us stronger emotionally. It strengthens our resolve to stand up for what we believe in. It may take time before we may fulfill each of our cabin crew dreams, but just hold on to it.
Just imagine if Dan gave up right after the 15th attempt. Will she ever turn this dream into a reality? After being rejected 15 times by the very same airline, this flight attendant proved that nothing is impossible.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
