AAPI Heritage Month Spotlight: Captain Stephanie Tsim

May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI), a time to honor the arts, culture, contributions, traditions, and history of AAPI people in the United States. During this important observation, we are pleased to spotlight our team members who show how our diverse backgrounds contribute to The PSA Way.

Today we introduce Captain Stephanie Tsim, who was born in Sydney, Australia, to Chinese parents. Stephanie’s passion for flying was inspired by her father, who was once a Sim Technician at Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong. She said his passion for airplanes influenced and motivated her to pursue being a pilot, which led to her attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at Daytona Beach. She completed her flight training there and became a flight instructor before coming to PSA.

In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, Stephanie spoke with us about her aviation journey, cultural traditions, and representation in the flight deck.

What do you love about the aviation field?

Everyone pursuing a pilot career all do it because of their passion and love for airplanes. It is effortless to bond and connect with one another through our shared dedication.

As a member of the AAPI community in aviation, specifically as a Captain, how do you feel you positively impact PSA’s culture of diversity and inclusion?

Through my involvement with the Cadet Pilot recruitment team, I am able to attend many events representing PSA. As a female Asian pilot, we represent an incredibly small percentage of this industry. I hope that my presence in these events can encourage and motivate our future pilots as well as bring awareness to the diversity and cultural inclusivity of this industry.

What are some of your cultural traditions or customs you hold dear?

Chinese New Year celebration has always been my favorite holiday of the year. It is usually a family-oriented event involving lots of traditional Chinese food and snacks!

In the spirit of AAPI Month, what is it about your culture and heritage that you cherish the most?

As a Hong Konger, we are one of the very few Chinese cities that still use traditional Chinese texts (as opposed to simplified Chinese texts). The traditional Chinese characters have a very long and rich history. Every character’s creation is unique with its own pictographic origin. It is truly an art form.