Angélica Cozinha – Professional pride

At age of 20, she put a ring on her finger and dedicated herself wholeheartedly to her home, raising two daughters and fulfilling domestic duties. But fate took a turn – she went through a tumultuous separation and had to reinvent herself to secure a future for her family. She took a deep breath, rolled up her sleeves and built an exemplary professional career at Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (LAM).

Let’s rewind to one of the milestones in Angélica Cozinha’s life, which was her participation in a contest promoted by LAM in the early 1980s. “I was anxious, there were many applications, but fortunately I was admitted in 1984. At the time I was 28 years old,” she recalls.

At first, she worked in reservations, her voice conveying tranquillity to those who were anxious to book their travel. The training in Ticketing and Reservations provided her with a solid foundation, but she was honed in the field.

Due to her commitment, she found herself behind the counter, in contact with various people of different social status and classes. “In my interactions, I put friendliness first,” she said.

Because challenges are inherent in the job, Angélica Cozinha participated in the process of automating ticketing and reservations. She travelled to Atlanta, USA, to learn more about the system and later pass on the knowledge to her colleagues.

“The training was all in American English, which made it difficult for us, but because we were aware of our mission, we were able to adapt,” she says.

The travels did not end there. To improve her knowledge of manual processes with a view to enhancing automation, Angélica Cozinha went to Geneva, Switzerland, with a brief stopover in Paris, France.

After completing her training, it was time to teach. “Sharing what I learned was one of the most rewarding processes of my career. More than transferring what I knew, I learned a lot from my colleagues,” she adds.

The years she spent standing up, while teaching and serving, contributed to an early retirement. But despite being in reserve, Angélica Cozinha is open to passing on what she learned at the company that shaped her.

“LAM was my first job. I learned that we have to give ourselves body and soul, dedicate ourselves as if we were the owners of the company,” she said, emphasizing that professional pride is the recipe for building a solid career.

Edição 79 Maio/Junho| Download.