![](\"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/IMG_FS_Jillian_Clay_blog.jpg\" "\\"Jillian")
<\/a>In college at the University of South Carolina, Jillian hadn\u2019t quite yet landed on a career until her father took her on some very special trips during his final year at American Airlines. As a Captain on the Boeing 777, he flew Jillian all around the world to places like Germany, Japan and Argentina.<\/p>\n
\u201cHanging out with the crews and seeing all these amazing places, showed me what the pilot life could be all about,\u201d Jillian said. \u201cIt began to sink in \u2013 I wanted this to be my life, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her dad suggested that she at least take a discovery flight and see if she wanted to pursue her private pilot\u2019s license. After that first amazing flight, she figured it was better than any other option she had, so she went and achieved it.<\/p>\n
Also playing a part in piquing her interest in an airline career, Jillian\u2019s mother had been a Flight Attendant for American Airlines for 20 years. In fact, her parents had met in Washington D.C. where both of them were based \u2013 so why not carry on the tradition, Jillian thought.<\/p>\n
As many know, it\u2019s also a tradition to fly for the same airline as their parents, so it was only natural for Jillian to eye a future at American. First, she had to lay the groundwork, which began her venture into the Envoy Cadet Program.<\/p>\n
Career of certainty<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n Drawn to the assured path from Cadet to a major airline pilot, Jillian quickly found her way to an Envoy partner school as a Certified Flight Instructor.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Cadet Program gave me the peace of mind knowing I didn\u2019t have to stress about multiple interviews,\u201d said Jillian. \u201cYou have someone cheering you on and helping you organize your path. My career always feels certain.\u201d<\/p>\n Even her mother, who had been retired from American, reconsidered joining Envoy as a Flight Attendant to accompany her daughter. Last year, Jillian and her mother worked their first flight together to Oaxaca, Mexico, and even her father was able to tag along.<\/p>\n With strong role models such as her parents, Jillian aspires to pass along her passion for aviation to young people, especially young girls.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s my duty to set an example for the next generation,\u201d said Jillian. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible to meet little girls so interested in becoming pilots. I tell them to go hop in a plane, because you never know you might get that excitement I had. If they catch the flying bug, it can take their career all the way to a major airline.\u201d<\/p>\n As part of a growing group of women pilots, Jillian hopes the numbers get bigger and bigger and show the world that women can do anything, she said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think as people begin to see more and more women on the flight deck, it becomes the norm,\u201d said Jillian. \u201cI\u2019ve seen it firsthand that flight schools are blossoming with women pilots \u2013 it gives me so much hope for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Flying jets isn\u2019t the only thing Jillian does with vigor and dedication. As an avid athlete and competitor, she frequently competes in obstacle races such as Tough Mudder and the Spartan Races. She also has a history in equestrian competitions with her 10-year-old horse Quinn.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are similarities between flying a plane and horse riding, such as multi-tasking,\u201d said Jillian. \u201cYou have to be able to control the horse with all parts of your body, know their cues and expect the unexpected \u2013 just like flying.\u201d<\/p>\n Recently, Jillian has expanded her hobbies to working on experimental aircrafts with her boyfriend. Always interested in puzzles and problem-solving, she\u2019s drawn to the electrical wiring work where she can follow a diagram to reach her goal.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Pass the passion<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nBeyond the flight deck<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Right place, right time<\/h3>\n