Knights, Camera, Action: Jabili Kandula on proving sky's limit

Ever since she was a little girl, Jabili Kandula knew that she wanted to be a pilot. Her interest came from reading an Amelia Earhart comic book, sparking a lifelong devotion to the industry that has since led to her becoming an associate editor at the Aviation for Women Magazine.

Kandula also made a name for herself on another type of runway, competing in pageants since 2018. Her crowning achievement came earlier this year when she was named Miss New Jersey USA.

As a former Scarlet Knight, Kandula sat down with The Daily Targum to reflect on her time at Rutgers and look forward to what's to come.

Kandula began competing in pageants in her senior year of high school with no prior experience.

Going in, the only thing she knew was that there wouldn't be many people who looked like her participating. Yet, in her first year, she immediately made an impression, finishing as a semi-finalist.

As time went on, though, the thought of winning and the prospects of improving other aspects of her life gave her the confidence to keep going.

"I got coaching, I started working with interview prep and just working on myself in all aspects, not just during pageant season," she said. "All these things help me in my daily life, and I work as an aviation journalist, so working on my interview skills for the pageant would help me with my (work)" Kandula says.

Another component that's inspired both her pageantry and journalism is an opportunity for representation.

She described being Indian American as being a huge part of her life and journey. She aims to use her platform to inspire Indian girls and women all over the country to show them that they can be anything they want to be.

Even if her fans don't decide to pursue similar career paths, the struggle of being labeled one thing or the other persists.

"We only see ourselves in stereotypical roles, so it's always been really important to me to always go back to my roots and show how it's impacting me throughout my life," she said.

According to a survey conducted by the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022, only approximately 1 percent of pilots are women of color. While this frustrated Kandula, it also emphasized and reaffirmed the importance of seeing role models who resemble your identity.

She hopes that her work will make the careers of her successors that much easier.

"I was writing about myself and other women in the industry, I started to get messages from Indian girls and brown girls, saying like, 'Oh, I read your article,'" she said. "Just seeing those messages, it really showed me how much of an impact I'm making just by being myself and just by writing about my journey."

After growing up in predominantly white spaces, moving into the diverse community that is Rutgers—New Brunswick would allow her to interact with people from all walks of life.

Even in the face of a global pandemic, Kandula described her time at Rutgers as an overall positive experience where she saw students enact change in real-time. The environment of a big school showed how students could be active in their communities and push for what they want.

Not to mention Rutgers was close enough to a local flight school so that she could pursue all of her passions to the fullest extent. She noted how understanding and flexible professors were with her schedule.

Kandula started as a business major but soon realized that her interests and skills were better suited to the School of Communication & Information.

She would major in Journalism & Media Studies, and she was also the first female president of the Rutgers Aviation Club.

"I was able to mesh journalism and aviation, which is so rare," she said. "Because I was open to something else, I was able to find something completely new that I was able to just get into and enjoy."

Though her time at Rutgers is now over, her studies continue. Kandula is currently pursuing her master's and a commercial pilot license. She also serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for the National Business Aviation Association.

She hopes to continue using her platform to inspire young people and to advocate for more representation of Indian American women.