By Jonah Silberman
Thomas Heine, a graduating UCSB student in the department of Germanic and Slavic Studies, has combined his passion for aviation with language studies in order to pursue a career at Germany’s airline.
Graduating student Thomas Heine plans to depart on a life-changing journey. He dreams of moving to Germany and working for Lufthansa — a prospect made possible by his time studying German at UC Santa Barbara. With a goal to fly commercially, Heine hopes to soar through the skies of Germany connecting his lifelong passion for aviation with his culture and studies.
Heine said his four years studying German have inspired him to pursue a career in Germany and allowed him to feel confident enough in his skills and knowledge of German language and culture to succeed in Germany and at Europe’s largest airline.
“Studying German for four years at UCSB made me more willing to consider living and working in Germany,” Heine said. “Particularly [in terms of] looking for jobs at the German airline Lufthansa.”
Heine’s mother, a native of Cologne, Germany, played a crucial role in developing his passion for the culture. A resident of San Diego County, he started learning German from his mother and visiting au pairs while growing up, and he attended German weekend school, which further deepened his connection. Additionally, Heine was fortunate enough to travel to Germany frequently throughout his life to visit his relatives.
“I've always loved being in planes and learning about them,” Heine said. “I would like to pursue a career that keeps me busy and keeps me interested and passionate.”
Fascinated by aviation as a child, Heine was encouraged in his passion for aviation by his father, a current FedEx pilot whose “job is just really cool.”
“[It’s] one of the main reasons why I love aviation,” he added. To get a head start in his chosen career in the aviation industry, Heine started working as a gate agent at the Santa Barbara Airport during his second year at UCSB. “It was great to just gain the basic knowledge of how an airline works,” he said, “at the ground level, literally on the ramp and the customer service side of things.”
After completing an undergraduate degree in German at UC Santa Barbara, Thomas Heine believes he has the knowledge of both language and culture to work toward an aviation career at German airline Lufthansa.
Now as a supervising manager for American Airlines, Heine finds the Santa Barbara Airport is not merely a means to an end, but an integral learning experience.
Juggling the workload of a full-time student with a managerial position is a lot of work. But Heine’s aspirations push him to prioritize school and work over everything. “It’s tough. But it's worth it because I get to have a job which I really enjoy that furthers my pursuits and my career choices.”
At UCSB, Heine has taken “Media Technology” and “Business German” courses, both of which focus on German business.
“Growing up, I didn't truly know much about Germany,” he said. “I enjoy being able to delve further into German culture and learn more about German business than I have previously.”
In addition to studying German, Heine is completing the Undergraduate Certificate in Technology Management at UCSB, which he has found helpful to him in the workplace. “I’ve learned how to effectively lead a team of employees, and make sure that they're engaged and interested in the work they do,” he said.
Heine may not have had the traditional college experience, because he prioritized work and studies over his social life. But he says these sacrifices have fully prepared him to start a career on an entirely different continent.
Jonah Silberman is a third-year UCSB student majoring in Communication. He wrote this profile for his Digital Journalism course.