If you’ve flown United Airlines through San Francisco International Airport (SFO) recently you may have noticed a new group of attendants helping travelers along their way.
SONorCal representatives of United’s Special Olympics Service Ambassadors (SOSA) program have been on the job at SFO since early this year, greeting passengers and helping them with check-in kiosks, tagging bags and navigating security lines.
First launched during National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October 2019, United’s SOSA program has created employment opportunities at airports around the country and given Special Olympics athletes opportunities to gain first-hand experience working with the flying public[1] . It expanded to SFO this January.
We sat down with three SONorCal athletes, and one parent, to chat about their experiences as SOSA representatives at SFO and what it’s like working in one of the busiest airports in the United States.
About Special Olympics Service Ambassadors
For Special Olympics NorCal athletes Gaby and Jonathan, working as a Special Olympics Service Ambassador at San Francisco International Airport is an exciting, fun way to work with people doing something they both like to do: travel.
“For me, working with United is (about) working with customers,” says Gaby. “It’s important to work with customers, showing up with a positive attitude.”
“I greet them, and help them out and tag their bags,” she says.
“It’s a good place to work,” says Jonathan. “I work with a lot of people, so that’s cool. I direct them to which gate to go to. I show them where to go. And I help them out at the kiosk, printing bag tags and boarding passes.”
Seasoned SONorCal athletes, Gaby and Jonathan were introduced to the SOSA program by people who knew about their skills and abilities: their Special Olympics coaches.
One of Gaby’s track coaches texted her to see if she wanted to work at the airport. A coach of Jonathan’s referred him to start working at SFO.
“I was looking for a job for a long time,” said Gaby. Her coach helped her with the application, “and that’s how I got enrolled with United.”
Travel Experiences and Unique Opportunities
Working at the airport has the added bonus of exposing Gaby and Jonathan more to the world of travel.
“I like to travel,” Gaby says. “My family likes to travel. We like to explore things.”
“People that fly out, they go to different countries and different towns, like Newark or Chicago,” she says.
Gaby’s favorite place she’s visited is Colombia. Jonathan has a sister who lives in San Diego that he visits with his family, and he wants to go to Minnesota.
“I like to sit in the middle seat,” he says.
Working at SFO, both Jonathan and Gaby have been able to see some unique things, including a behind-the-scenes tour of luxury airliners and the aircraft maintenance area, where they could see planes undergoing standard servicing.
“We went to the big basement where they make airplanes,” Gaby said.
A Parent’s Perspective
For Special Olympics NorCal athlete parent Bonnie S, the SOSA program was a perfect fit for her daughter Marki.
“Marki’s a very social being,” says Bonnie. “She really does thrive in that kind of an environment.”
Marki had a longstanding job that ended with the pandemic, and had been looking for work in a social setting. Her brother, a Special Olympics basketball coach, heard about the SOSA program and introduced it to Marki.
Working at the airport helps Marki with her independence – as does her navigating a long commute to the airport four days a week.
“We’re both thrilled for this opportunity and the fact that it came up,” Bonnie says. “The United folks were very excited and very warm and accepting.”
At SFO, Marki has had the opportunity to see some famous people in transit.
“I met a celebrity from Law & Order,” Marki says. “I’ve been seeing a lot of college teams coming in and out of the airport. Today I saw the Stanford tennis team. A couple of months ago I saw the Santa Cruz Warriors.”
For Bonnie, the SOSA experience has been highly positive. “I hope that she stays there for a long time,” Bonnie says. “She certainly loves it, loves being out in the public and loves the people that she works with.”
The next time you’re flying United out of SFO and need some help with directions or your boarding passes, rest assured you’ll be in good hands with the help of the Special Olympics Service Ambassadors. Learn more about the program here.
About Special Olympics Northern California:
Special Olympics Northern California empowers children and adults with intellectual disabilities to participate in year-round sports training and athletic competitions in a variety of Olympic-type sports. Through the power of sport, we promote inclusion, acceptance, and the development of life skills, building stronger communities for one athlete at a time.