Maria Alfonso adapts to a new journey and career
in the midst of the pandemic
Maria Alfonso is the director of career services at Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology.
2021 AIRPORT V 34 OICE WOMAN OF ACHIEVEMENT
In her role as director of career services, she
continues to distribute the kind of support that
helped her to be successful by being part of “students
and graduates success stories.” She had the
opportunity of presenting the school´s new internship
program approach to other academic institutions,
where they encourage and empower students
to make wise career decisions.
Shortly after moving from her birthplace in Bogota,
Colombia to New York, Alfonso got her start
in the aviation industry through her current position
at Vaughn College. Her start day was actually
the same day that all schools were shut down
in March 2020 due to the pandemic, so in addition
to starting a brand new job, she then had to work
with her team to “create a new approach to serving
students in this new virtual environment.”
She accredits networking, perseverance, and
hard work as the foundation of her success, but
she recognizes that she had support along her
journey. “I feel I have not been successful alone,
said Alfonso. “I have had many professional and
personal mentors in my life that have guided me
to overcome obstacles and obtain the goals I set for
myself.”
Another one of Alfonso's goal, ultimately, is
to teach. “I studied economics and international
business, and after college, I never thought my career
path would take me to higher education,” said
Alfonso. “I love it- I want to position myself as an
educator focused on preparing students during all
phases of their career development process.”
WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT
HOMETOWN: Forest Hills, Queens. Born and
raised in Bogota, Colombia
HOBBY: cooking
FAVORITE BOOK: The World is Flat by Thomas
Friedman
FAVORITE MOVIE: When Harry Met Sally
TRAVEL GOAL: Portugal
FAVORITE QUOTE OR MOTTO: “What matters
in life is not what happens to you but what you
remember and how you remember it.” -Gabriel
Garcia Marquez
As she develops new relationships with industry
leaders, which can potentially lead to career
opportunities for Vaughn’s students and graduates,
Alfonso feels proud to have fostered relationships
with local, national, and international companies
to expand the internship program and to
have catapulted the Universidad del Rosario to
compete with the top business schools in Colombia.
Her advice to women interested in the aviation
industry is pretty simple; “Just go for it,” said Alfonso.
“The sky is the limit. It is our job in a higher
learning institution to expose the many career opportunities
that women can have in the aviation
industry.”
Honors
Maria Alfonso
Director of Career Services
Vaughn College
and all of Airport Voice’s
Women of Achievement
for this recognition
vaughn.edu | @vaughncollege | 1.866.6VAUGHN WOMEN ONLY
Endeavor Air Captain Pamela Nuccio with all female crew, First Officer was Anne Greenberg.
Flight Attendants were Marcy Steixner and Diane Konwinskion.
/vaughn.edu
