2025 LPA Aerospace Industry Expo: A Conversation with LPA President - Claudia Zapata-Cardone
Ready 4 Pushback
Nik Fialka
4.8 • 716 Ratings
🗓️ 25 August 2025
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, Nik sits down once again with Claudia Zapata-Cardone, President of Latino Professionals in Aerospace (LPA), to talk about career opportunities, representation, and the upcoming LPA Aerospace Industry Expo. Claudia shares why the organization expanded beyond pilots to include all aerospace professionals, and how mentorship, sponsorship, and scholarships are breaking down barriers for the next generation. She also opens up about overcoming self-doubt, the importance of not “self-selecting out,” and the power of being bold and authentic in your career journey. The conversation also highlights what makes the LPA Expo unique: it’s not just another recruiting event. Alongside on-site interviews and meet-and-greets with major airlines, the Expo celebrates Latino culture with salsa dancing, mariachi bands, and a community-driven gala. With thousands of pilot jobs projected to open in the coming year, this event could be the last major chance for many candidates to make a strong impression before interview season.
What You'll Learn:
Why LPA expanded to represent all aerospace career fields beyond pilots
The difference between mentorship and sponsorship—and why both matter
How to push past imposter syndrome and avoid self-selecting out of opportunities
What makes the LPA Aerospace Industry Expo different from other career fairs
How cultural celebration and community create a stronger sense of representation in aviation
Why authenticity and preparation is more powerful than cookie cutter answers in interviews and meet-and-greets
How upcoming airline hiring waves make this year’s Expo a critical opportunity for aspiring pilots
CONNECT WITH US
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, pilot. |
| 0:02.8 | Welcome back to Ready for Pushback. |
| 0:05.0 | I'm Nick Fialca. |
| 0:06.2 | Today's conversation is with my good friend Claudia Zapata Cardone, who is the president of the Latino Professionals Association. |
| 0:16.1 | And if you don't know that the name is now Latino Professionals Association. Don't worry because neither |
| 0:22.3 | did I, and you'll hear it in the interview. I interviewed Claudia at the Organization of Black |
| 0:29.7 | Aerospace Professionals Expo, the Obap Convention out in Tacoma, Washington. So when I go to |
| 0:36.0 | these, I typically don't bring my entire video set up |
| 0:39.4 | because it is, it's a big thing to try to get all this stuff set up and computers and cameras and |
| 0:46.9 | timing and all the stuff. So I usually just don't bring it. So no video today if you're watching |
| 0:53.0 | on YouTube. But it's a great conversation. |
| 0:55.9 | The convention is coming up. We talk all about it. Second to last convention and the last |
| 1:02.1 | East Coast convention, right? So if you're on the East Coast, you want to get to Orlando, it's a couple |
| 1:06.7 | weeks away, all right? Just a couple weeks. So sit back, relax. Let's get ready for pushback. |
| 1:14.0 | It all started as a spark. Maybe it was the sound of jets racing across the sky. |
| 1:21.6 | Or the feeling of your heart racing as you watch Crop Duster flying low and slow. |
| 1:28.0 | Even then, you knew you were meant to fly. |
| 1:31.9 | For pilots, it's more than just a job. |
| 1:34.5 | It's a calling. |
| 1:36.3 | The early mornings, the long hours, the relentless training, |
| 1:40.7 | you didn't do it for the money. |
| 1:42.5 | You did it for that moment. |
... |
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