Katheryn Cabanillas, from Moreno Valley, is a UPS air manager responsible for all the next and second day air volume that travels on 70 aircrafts through Southern California and Las Vegas air gateways (excluding Ontario). She manages a seven-day operation, has more than 630 employees, and oversees all air operations in and out of Burbank, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Bernardino, and San Diego airports.
Katheryn became a single teenage mom in 1999, and in order to provide for her child, she took a part-time package handler job at UPS in 2002. Over the last 20 years and as a single mom of four, Katheryn completed positions of increasing responsibility, moved up the corporate ladder, and completed her master’s degree.
Katheryn starts her days at 7 a.m. While getting her children prepared for school, she’s also following up on her air operations and addressing any issues or concerns. After taking her two youngest children to school, she runs quick errands and prepares dinner for her family before heading to work. She checks on her children throughout the day and returns home between 10-11 p.m.
Her message to young women is to believe in themselves. “You have the ability to do anything if you put your mind to it,” Katheryn said. “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something – show them that you can.”
Katheryn was featured in KCET’s 2019 documentary The Night Shift, a program that explored the evolving nature of labor in a 24-hour global economy and showcased people who were at work while most others were sleeping.
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