KEISHA BATTISTE
TELLS STRIVERS WHY SHE'S SO FLY


What is an ordinary day like for a flight attendant?
 

Well, the days vary from week to week. On any given day, I can literally travel in and out of up to 4 states within 1 day. So on an average day, I fly between 3-4 cities a day. When I reach my destination at the end of the day, I layover in that city for anywhere from 9-24 hours. On average, I'm usually on the road 4 days out of the week. The destinations vary with each trip, so one day I may be laying over in Los Angeles, the next day Chicago, or the next day in Atlanta. I also fly international trips to Europe occasionally.

 
What are some of the most interesting aspects of your job?

There are a few.

It is amazing how the job gives you such enormous access to the world. I've made friends in different parts of the world and until I started traveling abroad, I had a limited view of how people outside of the USA perceive life in our country to be. My friends in Europe have a different perception of life in this country than I do.

The other interesting thing is that many flight attendants have secondary careers or own their own businesses. I work with some very well educated and business savvy women. Traveling truly does wonders for your intellect if you are observant as you go along.

 
What kind of pointers would you give someone who is interested in becoming a flight attendant?
 

Be aware that there's quite a bit of sacrifice involved. You have to be extremely flexible with your time, very self sufficient, have great time management skills. Your personal time is great, but know that it is not like an average day to day job where you will be able to go home to your own bed every night and on the road, you spend a lot of time alone.

The thing is that when you do this job, you have to do it with your own personal goals in mind that expand beyond the job itself.

Make it work for you. The job is good for two main reasons: the flight privileges allow you to explore different parts of the world at your leisure and it also allows you to enjoy other outside business ventures because of the schedule flexibility.

 
Is it difficult to maintain relationships in this type of profession?
 

No doubt about it, it is a transient profession. You are constantly in motion, so you have to take the time to really nurture the relationships you're in. Because there's so much travel involved, especially in the beginning, it can be a challenge to a person who isn't accustomed to it and their partner. The partner has to be very secure with themselves or else all the travel will make them stir crazy. I find that it works well if I date someone who travels a bit as well. On the flip side, being away from the person you love for a few days can sometimes keep things fresh & fun because you get a chance to miss them.

 
What are your outside interests or ventures?
 

I have my hand in a couple of things right now. First, I am a writer at heart, so this magazine is a part of my passion.

A few years ago, I did stand-up comedy for a brief moment and I had a good experience with that, so I'm in the process of rewriting or revisiting some material. God knows my job sure provides me with enough raw material alone. Stand up is one of most challenging things a person can do, but if you've ever tried it and have witnessed a crowd falling out over your jokes, it's addictive, so I'm about to get back into that some time soon. No one would believe I could do stand up unless you see me on stage. I'm like a whole different person.

I'm also about to start doing print modeling again and start going back on auditions. I have some acting training and have done a few cool projects over the years. I got away from it and stepped away, but I am about to jump back in.

 
What type of projects did you work on when you were acting/modeling?
 


I've been very blessed to have gotten really cool gigs when I was out there pursuing it. I was with a really good agency for actors in Atlanta and did quite a bit of work through an agency here in New York, so I would get work in both cities.

I've done cameo appearances on The Wire, had a principal role on 1 episode of  PAX television's "It's A Miracle", had small roles in made-for-TV movies "Passing Glory" and "Selma, Lord, Selma", a movie based on Martin Luther King, starring Clifton Powell, and community theatre in Atlanta.  I also had a small role in a movie (mostly marketed overseas) entitled "RATS", starring Isaiah Washington.  Among my print work jobs, I did ads for Coors Light, Salon Profiles (Hairstyling) Books & Magazines, Genesis romance Novels, Industrials for Pharmaceutical Companies, Sheraton Hotel, and a swimsuit calendar that featured young ladies of Atlanta.

The funny thing is, every once in a while, a job that I did years ago will resurface out of the blue. Over the course of years, I've had random people ask me "Weren't you in a movie about Rats?" (which was filmed like 9 yrs ago) A friend said they saw it in Japan, another said they saw it in Brazil. To this day, my Mom will say every once in a while "Somebody said they saw you in some movie about Rats." When I was doing covers for these black romance novels, retailers like Wal-Mart and Target began carrying them. Wal-Mart is big down South, so if someone saw you on one of the covers, it was a hot topic. I would rarely ever talk about my gigs to anyone, including friends, so people would sometimes run across something like one of the novels and say "It's crazy, I saw this girl on the cover of this lusty book that looked like you" and I'm like "That WAS me."

 
Any words of wisdom you want to offer to single females that are out there dating?


Wew. How much time do we have left? (Ha)

Know Your Worth. When you know what you bring to the table, you can sift through and eliminate the b.s. a lot easier. When you notice that the person is coming to you with a fresh collection of Samsonite luggage (a.k.a. Baggage) with drama in tow, then know that he will bring your stock down, therefore, you must revoke his application.

Do Not Settle. Do not let anyone or society make you feel inadequate because you are single. Believe me, there's a lot more headache involved in being with someone who isn't right for you than it is to be patient and work on yourself until the right one comes along.  If he's wrong for you, don't try to justify it. Keep it moving! (Sure, he might give a mean foot massage, but he's mooching off of his baby's mama...go figure!)

Don't Limit Yourself To A Specific "Type." Try keeping an open mind. Don't always go for the obvious choice or the guy that every girl is after. For example, if you are only accepting applications from 'ballers', then you should be realistic in asking yourself what you're willing to compromise in the process of chasing him...because that's exactly what you'll be doing.  I hope you have good running shoes.

Bottom line is Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover. Your soul mate might be that understated, reserved brother that's laying low with a button down & khaki's. Don't limit yourself.

Don't Take "Casual Sex" Too Casually. Tricky, right? Just because he's hot, it doesn't mean he's supposed to occupy your bed. Sometimes we confuse casual sex with thinking that we are just satisfying a physical need, but ladies, a lot of times it is about a lot more than that. Believe it or not, spreading yourself too thin with multiple partners really does compromise your value. What happens when it's over & you're still not fulfilled in either capacity? Sometimes it's just not worth it...go get a good vibrator & a glass of wine.

It helps to approach dating from a learning perspective and keep in mind that you are the prize and you decide who & when you want to entertain, not the other way around.

 
(check out my article at "Keisha Speaks")