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Lessons from the Front Lines on Being Latina in Aviation

By Kathryn B. Creedy

Orlando, FL, Sept 20, 2026 — For decades minorities worked to hide who they were, but that is changing as illustrated by the recent Latino Professionals in Aerospace (LPA) conference when former United Airlines Oscar Munoz told attendees to embrace their heritage.

During the conference, women indicated they hid behind their Anglo names or straightened their hair to “pass” trying to fit into the White World.

Claudia Zapata-Cardone, LPA president, explained she made sure she didn’t have an accent and hid when she was eating her Arepa for breakfast. It was years before anyone knew she even spoke Spanish.

“African-Americans have it worse,” she noted, “I owe my career to the black women of the Organization for Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP). They taught me about microaggressions which I didn’t even know about.”

Latina Super Powers

Panelist Laura Allen told the packed audience they should also embrace their language skills because “knowledge is power and when you have a second language you have a valuable skill,” she said. “While I want the rules to change to be more inclusive, my experience made me stronger.”

Juanita Valez builds her confidence by knowing the value of the Latino community.