Gopika becomes first air hostess from ST category in Kerala

KANNUR: For Gopika flying from Thiruvananthapuram to Mumbai for air hostess training is a take-off of her dream. She belongs to Karimbalan category in Scheduled Tribes. After her cabin crew training with Air India Express, Gopika will be the first air hostess from ST category in Kerala.

This was her dream since class 8 when she saw the picture of an air hostess wearing red skirt,white shirt and tie. After completing her graduation in B.Sc Chemistry, she enquired about the course. The course fees at private institutes were very high and her parents who work as daily-wage labourers couldn't affort that. It was only two years later she saw an advertisement that students from ST category can study IATA's (International Air Transport Association) customer service course with government scholarship.

With this scholarship, she joined Dream Sky Aviation Training Academy in Wayanad for a one-year course. Fees, stipend and accommodation of Rs 1 lakh were all provided by government. She also received training in English and Hindi. Gopika cleared the air hostess interview in second attempt. She will complete the training and start work by October.