As Maritza Contreras jumped into the crystal-blue waters of the Pacific Ocean to snorkel for the very first time – long-forgotten was the anxiety she felt just five days prior when she was back home in Oakland, California. 

“I was sad, I cried because I was going to miss my mom,” Contreras said.  

The eighth grader at West Oakland Middle School was set to embark on a trip filled with many firsts: her first time on a plane, the first time she was thousands of miles from home and the first time she’d traveled without her mother. 

“My mom told me to have fun because it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, she was proud I was chosen to go,” said Contreras. 

The 14-year-old was one of 12 West Oakland Middle School students who bid their parents farewell to go on a community giveback trip to the state of Hawai‘i last week at no cost to their families or school. As part of Alaska Airlines’ commitment to invest in youth and care for the communities we serve, we surprised the group with the seven-day trip to the Islands in partnership with STATE Bags. The family-focused bag brand’s co-founder, Scot Tatelman, co-created the program last year called Travel Academy when he took eight Brooklyn-based students on a transformational excursion throughout California. 

“Anyone who has traveled can speak to that feeling. When you land somewhere new and experience all that place has to offer, it feels like your world has opened up just from having seen it,” Tatelman said.  

“This partnership reflects both companies’ commitment to creating connections through travel and providing opportunities for young people to experience the world of aviation,” said Daniel Chun, Alaska’s Hawai‘i Director of Sales, Community & Public Relations.  “For over 15 years, Alaska has had the privilege of flying our guests to one of the most beautiful and amazing places on the planet, with service to four Hawaiian Islands from seven West Coast cities.  We are mindful of the impacts of travel and how important it is for both residents and visitors to mālama (to care for) this very special place so future generations are able to enjoy it.” 

While the backdrop of this year’s trip was the natural beauty of Hawai‘i, the students’ mission every day was to learn about how to become mindful visitors of the Islands by giving back to communities on O‘ahu and Maui. Soon after their arrival, the group walked knee deep into a lo‘i (taro patch) to help harvest the root vegetable at Kualoa Ranch while learning its important role in the Hawaiian culture. They worked with the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute staff to rehabilitate a Hawaiian green sea turtle that had recently been injured out at sea. The group also learned about the importance and uses of native plants at Kipuka Olowalu, a Native Hawaiian cultural site on Maui. 

“I’ll never forget about the people, what I experienced and what I learned about with my friends while in a beautiful place,” said Maritza.

“It’s just beautiful, I love how the people of Hawai‘i respect their living space,” said 14-year-old Latanya Nolen. “There’s a lot more research I want to do to understand the culture here, it’s opened my eyes. I’m thankful to have this opportunity to experience something we’ve never done.” 

“We created an itinerary that allowed the students to both give back to the community while immersing themselves in the history, culture and beauty of the Islands. Whether it’s through one of their volunteer activities or simply speaking to locals about how their home is impacted, if we’re not careful while we visit—the students have told me they’ll forever have a space in their hearts for Hawai‘i thanks to this gift of travel,” said Maria Cid, communications program manager for California.   

The message seemed to be sticking for one of the youngest in the group. Anaya Sarfraz, who celebrated her thirteenth birthday while on the trip, now has a newfound hope that tourists do more than sightseeing while in the Aloha state.  

“If you visit, please learn about the history first, dig deeper than just visiting the beaches and you’ll find the beauty around you even more interesting,” Sarfraz said.  

For seven days, the students woke up and immediately ate breakfast together; only separating as a group when it was time for bed.  

For many, the peers among them were only faces they’d seen in passing at school or maybe connected briefly with in class. The students had applied for the Alaska Airlines and STATE Bags sponsored 2023 Travel Academy with an essay and were chosen by their principal based on their leadership skills. Now they were rooming with a classmate they’d likely never spoken a word to before heading to Hawai‘i, including Sarfraz. The seventh grader, however, quickly found her nerves dissipate.  

“I started talking and learning more about each of them, it’s been a surprising experience getting to know each other, and now I can say everyone here has become like family to me,” she said. 

Next month, the eighth graders of the group will graduate and prepare for high school, including Contreras who tried something new every day in Hawai‘i after setting aside her fears at the start of the week.  

She can now say she took part in returning an endangered sea turtle to the ocean, learned how to protect marine life while snorkeling, flown on a plane and ziplined through a tropical forest. 

All twelve students say they discovered the Aloha spirit through the people of Hawai‘i and will bring that back home with them to the Bay Area — and hopefully, wherever they travel to next.  

A Special Mahalo

Behind this incredible trip were some remarkable organizations and businesses who we are proud and grateful to partner with, including:

The Twin Fin | @thetwinfinwaikiki 

Royal Lahaina Resort | @royallahainaresort 

Kualoa Ranch | @kualoaranch 

Maui Ocean Center | @mauioceancenter 

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa | @uhmanoanews 

Artwork will be inspired by Hawai‘i’s Pledge To Our Keiki

In celebration of more than 15 years of service in the Hawaiian Islands, Alaska Airlines is partnering with Hawaiʻi-based illustrator, Shar Tuiʻasoa of Punky Aloha Studio to design our second special-edition painted aircraft in honor of the Aloha State. The artwork for the new aircraft will reflect Hawaiʻi’s Pledge To Our Keiki and will be revealed later this year.

Tuiʻasoa is an acclaimed illustrator and author known for her bold, colorful, and strikingly modern graphic style that showcases Polynesian heritage. Punky Aloha Studio is Tui‘asoa’s illustration studio where she creates illustrations for murals, books, magazines, and product packaging. The Hawai‘i-born artist has worked with Amazon, Disney, Target, AT&T, Sephora, The New York Times and many other recognized companies.

The desire to work with Tuiʻasoa has been on the minds of employees for a while now, with Alaska’s employee-led Pacific Islander Alliance (one of the company’s 12 Business Resource Groups) having passionately advocated for her work as a skilled artist proudly representing Hawaiʻi and Pacific Islander culture.

With the recent retirement of our first Hawaiʻi-themed livery, we are thrilled to work with another local artist to honor our connection to the Islands,” said Daniel Chun, Alaska Airlines’ Hawaiʻi director of sales, community, and public relations. “We love Shar’s work, and we share many of the same values and commitment to Hawaiʻi. It’s our goal to not just paint an airplane, but to carry the message about being a mindful traveler and invite our guests to join us in caring for Hawai‘i and the many places we live and fly.”

Last year, Alaska partnered with Hawaiʻi non-profit, Kanu Hawaiʻi and signed the Pledge To Our Keiki – an invitation for residents and visitors to give back during their time in the Islands. Students from schools across the state created the Pledge as a commitment to respect and care for the island places they call home so that future generations can continue to enjoy all that Hawai‘i has to offer. This week, Alaska joined Kanu Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Governor Josh Green, Superintendent of Education Keith Hayashi and other partners in a conference to support the launch of the Pledge To Our Keiki throughout Hawaiʻi’s public schools.  

In 2013, Alaska painted our first Hawaiʻi-themed airplane after hosting a statewide “Paint-the-Plane” contest for local students, in partnership with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education and Hawaiʻi Association of Independent Schools. Dubbed the “Spirit of the Islands,” the unique paint theme depicted Hawaiʻi’s cultural diversity and was designed by a local artist and Honolulu high school junior Aaron Nee. Nee’s design was selected from among more than 2,700 submissions by students across the Hawaiian Islands. After nearly a decade of flying throughout Alaska’s route network, the Spirit of the Islands was ready for a repaint and the livery was retired in May 2022.

Recently, an all-female crew flew an extra special flight to Seattle. It was Capt. Callie’s last flight with Horizon Air, our long-time regional airline sister company and her first time having flown her mom and grandfather as guests in the main cabin.  

“It was great. I’m proud of her. She found what she wanted and stuck to it,” said her grandfather, a Boeing retiree. 

From the ground up

Callie began working for Horizon Air in 2015 as a ramp agent in Yakima.  She later transferred to Redmond, Oregon, where she would earn her wings and fly that commemorative flight before transitioning to first officer at Alaska.

From the start, women have played a major role in building up the aviation industry. While there has been improvement over the years, there is still room for more representation in the flight deck. 

Women like Callie and her co-pilot Meagan on flight 2342 have fought for more representation in the industry and now have greater opportunities to become pilots, ground crew and executives. The question is, do young girls know this? To celebrate International Women’s Day, we’re championing women like Callie and Meagan to show how far the industry has come in recent years and set an example for future generations of women in aviation. 

“I wish I would have known the path to take to become a pilot at a younger age. If someone had reached me in my high school years and showed what the career actually looked like, I probably would have done it a lot sooner,” said Horizon First Officer Meagan, who earned her wings when she was 22. 

Training the next generation of pilots 

Last March, Alaska and Horizon teamed up with Hillsboro Aero Academy, a premier flight school in the Pacific Northwest, to launch the Ascend Pilot Academy (APA). This new development program, designed for aspiring pilots, provides a simpler, more financially accessible path to becoming a commercial pilot at Horizon and, eventually, Alaska. The program is part of a larger effort to address a growing pilot shortage and increased travel demand. 

In partnership with Hillsboro Aero, we expect to register and train up to 250 students a year. Additionally, our Ascend Pilot Academy aims to provide aspiring pilots with a more accessible path to becoming a student pilot. Enrolled cadets will be eligible for access to financial aid and a stipend of up to $26,463 upon signing on to work for Horizon Air. 

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