The Chosen Few
- Toni T. Gibson
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
by Toni Gibson, Contributing Writer
For many of us, we chose this career long before it chose us. This industry has the power to either shape you or break you. While we may wear the same uniform and wings, there is often far more to us than meets the eye.
Among us are published authors, PhDs, MBA graduates, beauty queens, ministers, medical professionals, realtors, investors, pilots in training, teachers, chefs, and countless other accomplished individuals — all while simultaneously serving as firefighters, EMTs, law enforcement officers, and sometimes even counselors at 30,000 feet. To underestimate us would be a mistake. Our skills, intelligence, and experiences are not confined to the cabin of an aircraft.
Many of us do not openly announce our degrees, accomplishments, or expertise, but many of us know more than we are given credit for. We are leaders, not servants — and somewhere along the way, that truth has been lost in translation for some. While passengers may look to us for beverages, snacks, and comfort during their flight, our primary responsibility has always been safety.
Over the past year, the aviation industry has seen an increase in safety-related incidents across multiple airlines that required the immediate evacuation of passengers. While these emergencies remain rare, they serve as a reminder of why flight attendants are essential. We have always embodied the phrase: “Better to have and not need than to need and not have.”
Unfortunately, our value is often overlooked until the moment an emergency demands our expertise, authority, and leadership. That reality becomes even more apparent as many flight attendants continue fighting for fair contracts, better pay, and proper recognition within the industry.
The knowledge and experience we bring from our diverse backgrounds are invaluable and cannot be reduced to an hourly wage. Those experiences enhance our ability to lead, respond, and protect. They make us not only necessary — but irreplaceable.
Our worth cannot be measured by thankless passengers, delayed flights, weather disruptions, broken jet bridges, misconnections, or the number of emergency slides deployed. What we represent is far greater than the inconveniences tied to air travel.
At 30,000 feet, our presence symbolizes safety, strength, resilience, and responsibility. We are required. An aircraft cannot legally depart without us.
Just as every classroom needs a teacher and every hospital needs a doctor, every commercial flight needs a flight attendant.
YOU are the requirement. YOU are the asset. And despite the challenges, the lack of support, and the moments when your value goes unseen — YOU are THE CHOSEN FEW.
About the Contributing Writer
Toni has been a Dallas–Fort Worth–based flight attendant for the past five years and currently resides in Celina, Texas, with her husband, Dewayne, and their three children. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, she has called North Texas home for more than 20 years.
A graduate of Purdue University, Toni also holds an MBA in Business Administration from Keller. She is a proud member of Sigma Kappa Psi Sorority and brings a rich background in creative writing and journalism, having served as a staff writer for two independent newspapers. Her professional experience also spans elementary education, early childhood program leadership as a licensed director, mortgage banking, and healthcare administration.
Beyond her career, Toni shares a monthly self-reflective mantra newsletter on her social media platforms, inspiring others through words and perspective. She is also working toward her private pilot’s license and enjoys building flight hours whenever possible. In her free time, she finds joy in golf, line dancing, cooking, reading, hosting, and making lasting memories with her family while traveling the world.
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