Her Story
About Rafaela
I've been in aviation for nine years now, completing nine years today actually. I work for S3 Aero Defense, and that's where I started in aviation - it was totally new to me, but it's still business, still leading people and working with people. I manage repairs of parts of airplanes, military planes, and that's a huge part of my job. My main areas of expertise are negotiation and leading people. I don't like the wording 'managing people' - I feel like we manage things, but people we lead. I've been studying a lot on improving soft skills because I believe that for you to lead people, you need to be taking care of yourself and learning as well, so you can teach and mentor people. I work from home now since the company is in Wisconsin and I'm located in Florida. My typical day starts with gratitude journaling, meditation, and going to the gym - a routine I've maintained since COVID hit. I do have regular meetings I attend daily with suppliers and with the team. My greatest professional achievement has been conquering my space in this industry and in the company. Aviation is a very male-oriented industry, and it's changing, but being an immigrant with an accent, we face some challenges. I feel like people respect me, they value my opinions, and I contribute with the industry, with my team, and my culture. Being multicultural, I bring a vision from different perspectives.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Rafaela
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say don't try to please everyone. In fact, just follow your intuition. Be yourself. It doesn't mean to be rude, doesn't mean to be unpolite, or not allowing people to speak, but be yourself, be true to yourself, because losing yourself is a big price you are gonna pay in the future. And knowledge - learn as much as you can. Learn soft skills. And learn your area. Study, you know, because knowledge is also power.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
For business and aviation specifically, there are challenges with the country right now. We have wars, and that moves a lot in my industry, especially because I work with military planes. So it's unstable, very unstable. You gotta know how to work in this industry and how to manage anxiety and all that, because you never know. Sometimes we get a contract and we work with foreign governments all over the world, everywhere. Sometimes we get hundreds of parts at once, and I have to manage all of them with my team, and it can be overwhelming. And we have periods that we don't have much. So it's just dealing with the world challenge for us now, the economy and all that that's happening.
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