Jennifer Colegrove

As travelers boarded a plane in Los Angeles bound for San Francisco, one of the flight attendants spotted a well-known face among them. After takeoff, she made her way forward from her jump-seat at the back of the plane to say hello. In a true “small world” moment, the familiar passenger was UCLA Chancellor Gene Block and the flight attendant was full-time UCLA Geography/Environmental Studies major, Jennifer Colegrove. Chancellor Block was headed to Hong Kong, connecting with Geography professor and UCLA Vice Provost for International Studies and Global Engagement Cindy Fan and other Bruins, to host a series of UCLA Global Forums and Receptions. Colegrove had recently taken a class with Professor Fan. Upon landing, they wished each other safe travels and snapped a photo to remember the moment.

Colegrove wears a UCLA pin on her flight attendant uniform and meets a lot of Bruins, “I get a lot of 8-claps on the plane... at 37,000 feet I’m doing an 8-clap.” But running into the Chancellor had special meaning for her. Colegrove knew her decision to return to school full-time would take her total dedication, “All I could see was UCLA. I would go to bed dreaming about being on campus. It’s all about passion and desire, and how important the goal is to you.” She is part of a growing number of working students. A 2013 report by the U.S. Census found that 72% of America's 19.7 million undergraduates worked in 2011, and 20% of that group worked full time. Colegrove’s advice to others who want to work while pursuing their education, “Have a passion to go back, because it’s not going to be easy … Wait it out until you know in your heart that’s all you want to do.”

Growing up in Orange County, after high school graduation Colegrove attended community college classes, but felt unable to find her niche. Instead, she began a career in real estate. Ten years later, the economic downturn of 2007 found her looking for a new job. The opportunity to be a flight attendant seemed like a fun way to pass a few years and a chance to see the world. She soon discovered her curiosity to learn more about the places she traveled. “Once you realize all the places you’ve been, you realize how many more places there are to go.” Colegrove has now been with United Airlines for 9 years, flying across America and around the globe.

A few years ago, work furloughs in the airline industry had Colegrove again considering another career change. Living in Sacramento, she started taking classes at her local community college. She says, “I would go to school on Monday and Wednesday, and Friday, Saturday and Sunday I would be in China, or Sydney, or Frankfurt. Most of my time on my layover was devoted to homework, but I did try to have a little fun.”

Making the decision to pursue her higher-education degree, Colegrove knew this would take her total commitment, “Honestly the only thing on my mind was if I’m going to do this at my age, I’m going to go all out. And that’s why my only school of choice was UCLA.” She was drawn to the field of geography, studying man’s impact on the planet. “Having traveled to different countries, I became in tune with things around the world. That’s what intrigued me about Geography and Environmental Studies.” The UCLA Department of Geography is consistently top-ranked, a recognized leader in research and education.

Colegrove found her first semester at UCLA to be a difficult adjustment, balancing the workload, pace and demands of a world-class university with her full-time work schedule. “It was a little bit of a difficult transition, I had some tears. But now I’ve got this, I’m making it work.” She appreciates that United allows her to have a flexible schedule, flying to a location and back one day, and attending classes the next. She has become skilled at scheduling her time. “I really take everything seriously. I’ve never missed a class at UCLA. Even if it means coming in off a red eye and driving straight to campus, I will be there. I do not want to miss the opportunity to be in class.” The job is physically demanding as well. “I don’t know why some days are worse than others. I think it’s all about how you take care of yourself. A lot of water, that’s really what helps.” And although she doesn’t have time for a regular exercise routine, she says on an average day, flight attendants can walk as many as 5 miles through airports and on the plane.

It is blue skies ahead for the flight-attendant/student, who is making her education a priority and is on the way to making her dreams come true when she graduates this Spring. Colegrove is open to whatever her future holds, but for now she is enjoying her time as a UCLA student. She says, “While it’s not easy, and I don’t have a ton of downtime, what I do have is the flexibility to actually have the college experience that I never had before. So I’ve been really grateful for that. This is an incredible opportunity. I’m still pinching myself every day.”