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Sometimes that you just don't know that the opportunity isn't at that moment.

We need failure in order to be successful.

Never give up.

Please Welcome to Salud.

I'm your host, Melanie Mendez Gonzalez.

This episode of Salud takes flight with two trailblazers and lands with a musical icon.

Our three Latina leaders today broke barriers for women in their chosen fields.

Let's take to the skies with our first guest who not only met in her military career but became the first female Hispanic U.S. military pilot.

Onward and upward.

Vamos.

For some people, the sky is the limit.

Our next guest has no limits as the first letting that military Air Force pilot and the first Latina pilot hired by American Airlines.

Please welcome Olga Custodio, retired lieutenant colonel from the US Air Force Reserve and retired American Airlines captain.

Welcome, Olga.

Thank you.

So how does a girl born in Puerto Rico find herself as the first Latina military Air Force pilot?

Well, my first intention, first of all, was to join the Air Force.

Having been a military Army brat growing up there, I knew that service and a love of country was important.

And and I saw my father, who was my biggest mentor.

So I wanted to follow in his footsteps.

But I knew I wanted to join the Air Force.

I entered the university at 16 years old.

And having done that, I figured that in order to serve, I would be able to go to the ROTC program.

Reserve Officer Training Corps, you know.

But I went there and the commander gave me this test and told me to come back in a couple weeks.

I went back and he said that I hadn't passed, not realizing until years later that women weren't even allowed in ROTC.

And I don't know what I would have felt if he would have told me that because I was a female, I could not enter.

From that point, it took ten years before I actually had the opportunity to enter the Air Force.

So at 26, I was married with three and a half year old and the Air Force was looking for a female pilot candidates.

And I felt that I was at the right place at the right time with the right qualifications.

And so was it that simple?

You win then and said, I want to be this?

Sure.

No.

I had tried once again after we were married and we went to a recruiter.

We took the test.

We had the highest scores, but the recruiter did not give me the officer slot that I was qualified for.

So I was rejected again at that point.

And I just went on.

So what it meant to me is, is how it goes, you know, sometimes that you just don't know that the opportunity isn't at that moment.

But I found out that they were looking for female candidates, and I went ahead and working as a Department of Defense civil service.

I had access to the regulations.

So this time I said, I am going to figure out exactly what's required, what forms I need to fill out, what tests I need to take, the minimum scores that I need to have to make sure that I do everything that I can to empower myself.

What did it feel like when you finally reached this call?

The the goal, obviously, was to enter the Air Force and serve my country.

That was my primary objective.

The fact that I was going to get the best job there was in the Air Force, then that was the bonus.

I mean, I would have never dreamt that females could have been military pilots.

Of course, the was the women air service pilots back in World War Two.

I mean, they served for about a year and a half.

And so all of all all of us who are pioneers in aviation, military, aviation, stand on their shoulders.

So here you are, a pilot in the US Air Force and you are the first Latina woman to be a pilot.

Yeah.

What did that feel like?

Not only was I the first Latina, I was just the first female because I went to Del Rio, Texas, and I was the two of us that started in the class.

But the other female student.

Within a week or so had dropped out.

So I ended up being the only female pilot in my class, becoming the first female T-38 instructor at Laughlin.

And from that point, I was I did such a good job and I came to Randolph Air Force Base and here in San Antonio at the Cheetah Squadron and became the first female, the Cheetah instructor pilot.

So not only was I just a Latina, I was the first female, you know, to to do that.

So many firsts.

But I have to say that that was not my motivation.

I didn't even know I was the first.

You know, I knew I was unique.

I knew I was the only female.

But I found my support through my family, through my supervisors, and I found my mentors.

And all my mentors were men.

And I appreciate everything they did because there were some that tried to block me in training.

They didn't understand why women were there discouraging.

You know, it just kind of planting little seeds of doubt, like.

But I knew after I had a an incident as a student pilot that I knew that I was where I was supposed to be doing what I was doing because I was able to take care of that emergency, land the airplane safely and and put into practice all the training I had gotten to that point.

So you had you mentioned your dad was one of your mentors.

You had mentors along the way.

Tell me about that relationship with your mentors.

What was good advice that they gave you?

Well, at the time, you don't think of it as mentorship.

You just think of let me ask the question and see what I get, because there's very few times that mentors go up to a mentee and say, hey, I'm going to mentor you, right?

So you have to approach your mentors.

And that's basically what I did.

You know, in the conversations I would say, Oh, I'd love to try this or I'd want to do that, or how do you how do you think I'm doing?

And they would give me the feedback in give me the support that I needed for that.

It was it was a a time of change.

And it's it's not easy for for the the squadron at the time, because I was the only female in the squadrons and they were just so used to men being around saying things they said, doing things they did, and now they had to change that culture.

So it was a learning curve not only for them, but for me to have the patience to acknowledge that they were learning.

It, for you to recognize it.

Oh, yeah, for sure.

But I think the fact that I was married, I had three and a half year old daughter when I started it.

It was just a little more maturity that I needed to to approach this, this challenge and the barriers that the barriers that I was going to encounter.

So, I mean, being at the right place at the right time and entering one I did, there was a purpose for that.

So you had this extraordinary military career with wins and challenges.

But tell me about American Airlines and becoming a pilot there.

Well, that transition came when it was time for me to get another weapons system, meaning another assignment, because as a pilot, I was assigned the T-38.

But then I did a year and a half at in the TI 41 was a flight screening program which I went through myself to see if I was a good candidate.

But I, I knew I was going to fly a big airplane and a lot of my peers were transitioning to the airlines, which is not what I had envisioned for myself, because my vision was to make a career out of the military.

But then I thought about the family having to pick everything up and move.

And my husband had gotten a great job with the Department of Defense, and so it was a family decision.

And I decided that I needed to stay and transition to the reserves because I worked, waited too long, and worked too hard, and I was going to make it a career either way, active or reserve.

And I did that.

And I applied for American and American Airlines.

At the time, the only hires that they took were as flight engineers.

So I had to go study on my own, take that test, get that certificate on my ticket in order to apply.

And that's how I started as a flight engineer steps sideways and the panel took care of all the systems, the electric, the hydraulics, the the fuel, you know, the air conditioning for the passengers.

And then I moved up to the first officer to the right seat, and then from there progressed then and it was a transition.

But I think that the discipline and and training I got in the military helped me because again, the captains at the time were just starting to retire and they did not like the fact that women were coming into the flight deck.

And, I mean, it was it was quite challenging.

Another culture change, another influence for me to sit there and be patient and say, well, I'm here, I'm qualified and I'm not going anywhere.

You learned that from the military and maybe in other places of your life.

But what advice would you give to women, Latinas today who are facing similar challenges of moving on?

Well, I think the first thing is that they have to overcome that self-doubt.

Because we all think, oh, I'm not good enough.

I, I don't know enough or someone's better than me.

And you're you're always putting yourself down, you know, and and we need to think of ourselves as qualified and find that confidence.

And I'm not saying that you just one day you're all confident, you know, but it takes time and experience and the patience to look around and learn from others.

And the others you learn from are who are the leaders?

What kind of leadership do you like?

What style do you like?

What kind of person would you love to work for?

That's what you want to be.

That's how you need to approach working yourself with that confidence that you gained with that experience.

So I think that Latinas need to understand that, yes, we are smart enough, we are good enough, and we can do this.

That sound advice.

Okay, I noticed in the short time I've been with you, I'm glad I did ask the questions.

They learned so much from you so thanks for being with us today.

Thanks for having me.

So how is being the oldest in your family helped you be a leader in your career?

I think the important thing about being a leader is really caring about your people and being the oldest sibling.

You know, I cared for my siblings and I wanted the best for them, you know.

So I think that helped me along the way.

Like an airplane that takes off against the wind.

Our next guest career began as a challenging seasonal job, which eventually took her soaring to new heights.

Please welcome Samantha Lopez, director of air operations for UPS in South Texas.

Welcome, Samantha.

So you began your career at UPS at 19 years old in a seasonal helper position?

Yes.

Yes, it was called Driver Helper.

And it's still called like that to this day.

So, yeah, I was currently working at the time and wanted to really feel something out just a little different.

And so happened to be UPS and here I am today.

What led you to go to Ups of all places?

One of our neighbors, you know, in our neighborhood at the time, she worked for UPS and she was a very good friend of my mother.

I was working at a hotel in South Padre Island, working the night shift.

So there was one night where I kind of fell asleep at the wheel and we had a huge scare.

So my mother was like, I don't want you working there anymore.

You're going to work for UPS.

And I'm like, What is UPS?

Right at the time, right?

And sure enough, I applied and the only position available was a driver helper.

So back in that time, and especially in Brownsville, this is where I started, UPS jobs were very hard to find.

Right?

So the only way you can get in the door is if you worked as a seasonal, you basically performed well and then they would offer you a job after the holiday season.

So that's kind of how I started.

How close did your mom support you at that time in your life?

Samantha?

It was very challenging because here I am, a 19 year old female.

Eventually going into management, having to, you know, basically instruct and provide direction to to drivers that are, you know, twice my age.

It was very challenging.

I would come home crying every night and my mother pushed me and encouraged me every single day.

Don't give up, don't give up, don't quit.

You can do this.

You can do this.

And really, that's what kept giving me the motivation.

Latina moms always encouraged you.

Yes.

To be more working in a male dominated field.

I imagine you don't always hear the most encouraging things.

So what are some of the things that have been said to you that did make you feel great and how did you overcome that?

There's always been a lot of talk behind the scenes, things that would get back to me, and it always was.

She's only in her position because she's pretty and ooh man, I have to say that that's tough to hear because, you know, you don't feel credible.

Right.

And they think that your looks got you to where you're at today when they have no idea all the struggles that I endured, you know, just to get where I'm at today.

It's definitely a lot of hard work.

Most importantly, just what drove me was I wanted to be respected and I wanted to be credible.

Proving to others that it's not about the looks, it's about my results.

How else did you develop your leadership style, your leadership skills from starting as a young 19 year old with DPS who has gone through many positions upward in the company and gained the respect of the people who you manage?

First and foremost is knowledge is power.

I think that the more I learned and the more I taught myself and trained myself basically on every aspect of ups in my particular industry or field that really gave me, I guess you could say it just empowered me to be the best that I could be.

When you become when you're a leader, you have to really provide direction, right?

And if you don't really know what you're talking about, it's hard for people to follow you.

Right?

Learning as much as I could, it really helped build that credibility and respect.

What about people?

How were you able to find mentors along your journey?

When I started, there was a couple of females that worked in in the same in the same work environment, same place that I did.

And they really were initially my mentors because they encouraged me every day, don't quit.

Don't quit.

You could do this.

You know, you got what it takes.

Show these men how it's done, you know.

And so that's kind of where that started.

And then, you know, as my career progressed, I met other women and men that were very supportive of me and my career and really pushed me to where I'm at.

But I think it's so important to surround yourself with people that support you and believe in you, because sometimes people believe in you more than you believe in yourself.

Absolutely.

Samantha, you mentioned in the beginning that there were days you'd go home crying, but now you are a leader in this community.

How they moved from wanting to quit every day to being a successful leader?

Yes.

I would have to say, really, what I tell myself every day now is what can I do today that will, you know, inspire somebody?

And one thing I've always told myself is, you know, what did I learn today?

What can I teach someone today?

And that really is something that I tell myself constantly.

What advice do you give them about their career.

To take risks, take chances.

Because if it wasn't for the chances that I took in my career, I wouldn't be where I'm at today.

And don't be afraid of failure, because failure is I don't want to say it's the beautiful thing, but it's something that we need right.

We need failure in order to be successful because we learn from those mistakes.

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us and being with us today, Ansel.

Thank you.

We play something for sure.

For many Latinos, especially to handle, conjunto music is the sound of our heritage.

From heartbreak to celebration.

And our next guest continues to create her legacy as Latina, the queen of the accordion.

Please welcome everybody.

Hi.

How are you?

I'm great.

Thanks for having us in your studio.

Thank you for coming.

Yeah.

I'm thrilled to be here in the place where you create your music and play the accordion.

You've been playing since you were four.

Yes, ma'am.

And what made you want to learn to play the accordion?

Well, my my brother started first, the oldest brother, Pedro Barrel.

And I like the sound.

And I asked my mom when I want accordion, like my brother.

But you're too little.

And I say No little.

And they got me a two row accordion.

And I started just listening to the radio.

Self-taught.

Self-taught?

Yes.

Four years old and six.

I was playing professional with the support of my parents.

And so what was that like growing up teaching yourself how to play this beautiful instrument that is traditional to play?

Well, this but many people think.

But this man, it doesn't say here.

This is special for men.

Right.

Everybody.

Can they play piano, accordion, too.

So what have been some of the challenges in navigating your music career in this industry?

It's not easy.

This is a man's world and it's you know, women are ignored.

I'm one of them.

And I like that fact that they're ignoring women because women dictate they're kept capable to play the same or better sometimes.

I think it's because we're ladies.

It's not fair.

That's not right.

No, it's not right.

I know with you 100%.

But you're La Reyna You're the queen of the.

Well, that in my Facebook, they tell she's not the Reyna.

I'm not I'm not saying I'm lovely now.

You know what?

People give that name to me.

That's what I appreciate.

I'm just survivor, a simple, heavy baller.

And I think you got that name because you're so talented.

And people love to hear you play.

Ever.

What's it like to be on stage and play the music that you wrote?

I like it.

I feel I appreciate myself because I can write.

I can do arrangements.

So tell us what it's like.

How do you feel when you put in hours of work lives to keep performing and making music?

Well, I love music, lover.

I love music.

And I want to live my legacy for my audience.

I belong to my audience.

I have my mom always tell me, you're not going to be famous.

You're just going to play for us.

Same.

But I don't feel like that.

I'm your daughter.

But I feel I want to play for my audience.

No, no, no.

And I recorded and they call me from Michigan.

And my mom got the phone and she said and they say, Hello, is everybody there?

My mom said, you know, no, I'm I'm I'm her mother.

What do you want?

She recorded a song and they like it.

People like it and asking for.

And my mom said, no, she's not.

She's just been going.

And this guy said, Hey, you ain't going to let your daughter do what you want.

I don't care.

So you went from that.

You struggled with your mom, allowing you to play the accordion, but also your dad became your music.

Yeah, he was, man.

My manager.

We had a lot of gigs here and there, and my dad one time told me, you know what, daughter?

You can play the piano, but don't stop playing the accordion.

You know what?

That's your key.

You have received numerous awards, notably the National Heritage Fellowship, the National Endowment for the Arts in 2017 as well as this year.

You are the 2022 State of Texas Musician of the Year.

And it's an honor and I feel so proud and thank you for I want to say thanks to them and to all of you, all my audience.

The awards don't belong to me.

They belong to you all.

What do you think your parents might say, seeing them.

There?

I know they're watching.

They love me.

Thank you for sharing that with this ever.

Yeah, it's beautiful to see they get the music that you create.

It started with your family and you think of them when you continue to play music.

Despite the challenges that you've faced in your career.

What advice would you give to other Latinos that will Harris in the music industry?

I would say because this is my saying Never give up, please.

Sure thing.

Don't do drugs.

I don't do drugs.

I just drink.

No drugs at all.

I'm going to tell you my story.

I didn't do drugs, but they drug me.

We think people are all the people are good.

Right this way.

Thinking.

And but we in Spanish, we see God as vemos corazon in those are.

We see faces hard.

We don't know.

But there are there are a lot of beautiful and good people out there.

But there are mean people also who are.

So, especially for women in the music industry, to watch out.

Watch out with the with the agencies, with the promoters.

Be careful, girls.

If you shared so much with us about it, it obviously struggles, but you still have persevered through this industry, making your music.

Oh.

What else do you want the people to know about Eva Ibarra?

I want them to know that I'm never going to give up until God tells me I'm going to play for them with all my heart and the appreciation from my heart to my audience.

I love my fans.

You love your audience and we love you.

Thank you so much for sharing your time with us and your stories.

We appreciate you.

Well, I appreciate you, too.

Success in the sky and on the ground.

Breaking barriers in both.

I hope you enjoyed the words and motivation from our guest today, Lieutenant Colonel Olga Custodio.

UPS executive Samantha Lopez and Texas Musician of the Year, Eva Ibarra.

Thank you for being here with this.

And make sure to join us next time on Salute Nos Vemos