A Honolulu student is turning a childhood love of airports into a career in aviation, a hopeful note for Hawaii's small pipeline of aviation talent.

• Raina Chia graduated from St. Andrew's Schools and is now at Purdue University studying aviation management.
• Her goal is to become an airline station manager, the person who runs airport operations for a carrier.
• The interest grew out of family trips to Singapore and a fascination with how airports connect cities.
• An internship at Honolulu cargo carrier Kamaka Air and an FAA careers program in Illinois gave her hands-on exposure to drones and air traffic control.
• Her class is the last all-female graduating group at St. Andrew's before the campus goes co-ed.

Outlook: She points to networking with industry insiders while still in school as the fastest way for students to get a head start.