From a young age, Heikie Conolly always had a fascination with the Charles Kirkconnell International Airport, vowing to one day work at the Cayman Brac hub.
Today, after having spent many days plane-watching from the waving gallery growing up, Conolly is charged with protecting the Cayman Brac airport and those who use its facilities as its newly promoted security supervisor.
“I got a job to do. It’s a lot of responsibility, but at the end of the day, we have to ensure the safety of the people, our staff, and the plane… and ensure our airport is secure,” Conolly said in a recent interview with the Cayman Compass in the Brac.
The mom of three has been employed at the airport for the last 21 years. In January, she was promoted to her new supervisory role, making her the first female airport security supervisor at the Brac facility.
It’s a honour she holds dear and hopes it is one her female colleagues will aspire to.
“I love my job,” she said. “I look forward to coming to work each and every day, and I hope that all my colleagues will take me as a role model and walk in my footsteps.”
Different dream, same goal
Conolly’s love for the airport has only increased with time.
She said, as a young woman, she dreamt of becoming a stewardess working at the airport and travelling, but life had other plans.
“I became a mother at a young age and my dreams were, kind of, put on hold,” she said.
While Conolly navigated her new path in life, she still held fast to the hope of being able to one day walk through the doors as an employee at the airport.
She started working at Faith Hospital and, four years into her time there, an opportunity to work for the Cayman Islands Airports Authority came up and she jumped at the chance.
“I took on the job as a security officer and I moved up as a team leader. Then, last year, when the position came up for supervisor, I decided, ‘Well, I’ll give it a shot’. I was successful, and here I am today,” she said.
Conolly said it was a good feeling to rise through the ranks as a female security officer, and now she has 14 officers under her command on her shift.
“I have a lot of respect and I am happy because I can teach the rest of the officers that hard work and dedication is the key. If you work hard enough, one day your dreams will be there.”
Security, she said, is not an easy task, especially at the airport; however, she urged the public to be considerate when they can.
“At the end of the day, we have a job to do and we try to do it as best as we can. Don’t be rude to other people because it’s not right,” she said.
No limits to success
Though she said her current role was not what she had envisioned for herself at Charles Kirkconnell International Airport, Conolly said she is happy to be living her dream of working at the airport.
Conolly said she also wants to show her children, especially her daughter, that there is no limit to achieving success.
“They always used to say a woman is supposed to be at home, but these days we’re all equal, men and women,” she said, adding that she knows she is a role model for her daughter.
Her message to young Caymanians, especially on the occasion of International Women’s Day, is to follow your heart.
“Anything you want to do in life, just set your mind to it, and if you work hard enough, you will achieve it,” she said.
Conolly said she was grateful to her teammates and the Cayman Islands Airports Authority management team for their support.
“I would like to thank each and every one of them for encouraging me and for making my dreams possible,” she said.
She added that though there may have been some bad experiences along the way and there were times when she felt like giving up, but she had many people cheering her on.
This story is part of a Compass series for International Women’s Day which was celebrated on 8 March. If you have a story idea for this series, please email [email protected].
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