LAX Program Participant Encourages Women to Strive for Success

LAX worker, Jenise Virgin-Jackson

With the prevalence of the Covid, a spotlight has been given to frontline essential workers since the onset of the pandemic. Previously overlooked, service workers such as janitors and airport staff have now become a focal point in society. Participants in BSP’s LAX Emergency Preparedness programs are a part of this national workforce segment currently getting more of the attention it deserves. 

With an estimated number of 6,000 passenger service workers at LAX, BSP believes that these individuals, who serve as the first point of contact to the public and guests at the airport, have the potential of playing a critical role through proper education and training.

Jenise Virgin-Jackson has been working at LAX since 2011. She began as a bag runner with G2 Secure Staff, only one of three females in that position at the time. Many positions such as baggage handler, ramp service, and skycap services at the airport, are male-dominated ones; yet Jenise and her fellow female coworkers were often surpassing their male counterparts in their work, always taking on extra hours, and consistently doing quality work. 

Jenise was always commended for her strong work ethic and going over and beyond what was expected of her, so it was no surprise when she was approached by her manager to apply for an opening as a skycap only two years into her work at G2 Secure Staff. -- A skycap is a porter employed at an airline and provides services such as greeting the passengers, helping them with their luggage and supporting them in the check-in process, from curbside all the way to the door of the plane. 

Jenise was thrilled at the prospect of career upward mobility and honored with the possibility to grow at her workplace. She began to study in order to apply for the skycap position. “I love learning and growing, I don’t want to stay on the path,” said Jenise. 

“My dad became the first Black Captain for the Inglewood Fire Department,” she continued. “That is a legacy that inspires me.”

With the encouragement and support of her family, Jenise took the necessary courses to move forward in her career, passed the required exams, and was hired for the skycap position in 2013, making her the first full-time female employee skycap at LAX, one of the largest airports in the nation. 

Jenise describes the job with great admiration and respect saying, “[we] are the face of the airline, the first service that passengers receive when they arrive at the airport.” 

She reflects on her experiences with a smile, and remembers the wonderful relationships she’s created with the passengers, saying: “People would ask for my phone number and would call to see if I was working the dates of their flights, or would even schedule them so that I would be available to help them.” 

“It is a great experience to be able to assist passengers. [We] are not here to be an island unto ourselves, we are meant to build meaningful relationships and help others.”

Jenise served as a Skycap for seven years with great honor, she recalls how special it was to be the only female. She later had an injury that re-shifted her previous role into a new one. -- Currently an ACAMS (Alarm Control Access Monitoring System) associate at LAX, she is tasked with assisting with security and shutting off and resetting security alarms that are set off at the airport, which allows her to move around without too much strain.

Jenise is empowered by all of her roles during her time at LAX, and recalls that one airline pilot has always made it his priority when at LAX, to come around and shake her hand to let her know how proud he is of her. 

“Being in a male-dominated profession should not discourage women from trying,” Jenise offered. Encouraging other women is something that she greatly values. “Go for it, if it is something you want to do, just find out what you need to do and do it. It is important to fulfill our passions. I am not letting anything discourage me. I will continue to be positive and look to the future to continue growing, learning, and breaking barriers.”