Changed With Tirro

Hadiyah Buchanan was, and is, a ray of sunshine. Even from afar, she is one of those people whom I have always held close to the vest. We only did one Thespian show together but she has remained imprinted in my heart for all these years. Learn how that experience set the stage for a successful career in aviation.

This episode looks back to the spring of 1999. It was my first time directing The Wiz and I felt particularly compelled to do a great job because of the magical nature of the show. It was my fourth musical with Thespians and I knew I had to produce something beautifully representative of the community I was working within.

It was audition week and amongst all of the students trying out, in walks a fresh-faced young woman with giant eyes, a beaming smile, and a personal energy that lit up the room. I hadn’t seen her before in Thespians, and I remember my excitement as I watched her audition. She delivered lines with innocence and purity, a sense of wonder, and made my heart melt when her bright smile turned upside down. She was Dorothy.

I remember her being an absolute joy to work with; even though she was really green, having never done theater before, much less musical theater, but she was eager to learn, and a quick study at that. Sadly, it was our only show together, as she graduated that same year, but I have always held a special place in my heart for my first Dorothy. In many ways, we learned that show together.

I should have guessed that her quick-study abilities would take her far. After a year of community college, she joined the United States Air Force where she learned to be an Air Traffic Controller.

She served on active duty for eight years, three of which were in Japan, and then took her skills to the private sector, working at JFK airport in the tower.

Two years into her career switch, the skies called her back to Air Traffic Control. She now works at Tweed New Haven Airport in Connecticut, keeping the skies safe.

Who is Hadiyah?

Hadiyah described herself as a sensitive empath who feels very deeply.

My name means “guide to righteousness.” Hadi means “the gift or the guide” depending on the translation.

In high school, she remembers being the one whose role was the sounding board for others, someone who was a shoulder or offered guidance to her friends. In that role, “the guide” felt most fulfilled. In high school, she realized that her calling was to be the helper, the trusted confidante. That remains true today.

A life of high stress

Whether taking on the lead of a high school musical or keeping aircraft safe in the skies, Hadiyah seems to thrive in an environment of challenge and high stakes. She remembered how, right before her second night show, she was dealing with vocal issues all day and then right before the show opened, her silver shoes went MIA. As soon as she realized the shoes were missing, she ran back to the chorus room, found them, and ran backstage. Though out of breath and frazzled, she made her first entrance in the next moment:

And then I said my first line, with ease. It really translates in my life, even now in air traffic, how you flip a switch, you just go into this alternate space, and you adapt. I remember feeling not great on the inside, but I was like “I have to do this.” This was so important to me. I remember feeling so stressed out about that moment.

It was in that moment when she learned that no matter what was happening, no matter how she was feeling about things in the moment, she had the ability to focus in and take care of her business. She would extend that to her training in the Air Force and eventually into the high-stress responsibility of being an Air Traffic Controller.

While in the Air Force, she was trained by a company called Adacel, which creates air traffic control simulator systems for training both military and civilian personnel. After her eight year tour, three of which were spent in Japan, she went to work for Adacel, where she designed the training simulators for JFK, Newark and Laguardia airports. She then worked as a field representative for the company, teaching what she had learned in the military. While the lower stress environment was desirable for about two years, she had a personal goal from the time she started her training: to work air traffic control back at JFK. She made it, and worked there for several years, but unfortunately faced some discriminatory issues and eventually resigned from the FAA after filing a complaint.

Inspiration comes in all forms. Walking into her dentist’s office for a checkup, the staff there welcomed her as though she were royalty. As a joke, she asked if they had a job as a dental assistant, but somehow, they convinced her that she would be better suited as a dental hygienist. After some consideration and consultation with her first cousin Esskee (episode 43), Hadiyah decided to go for it and enrolled at NYU. This would be the transition from the high stress of keeping the skies clear to a more relaxed position in dentistry.

Of course, she couldn’t stay away from the skies for long. Two years into her new career, they called her back, but this time, it was a smaller airport in Connecticut, where she has been since just before the pandemic.

Being present

Even before she discovered Thespians, Hadiyah enjoyed being dramatic, playing parts, and entertaining family and friends. Once she got involved in a full-length production, she understood how dramatic activities helped to center herself.

I think, when you’re a Thespian, you have the opportunity to be someone else. In that moment that you are performing, your “who you are” melts away and you become whoever you’re portraying. The ability to become someone else was a good feeling for me; maybe an escape, a comfort.

There is a Zen-like comfort to being so mindful, whether performing onstage or controlling the skies. In both of those life experiences, Hadiyah talked about stepping outside of herself, flipping a switch, and being in the moment. If she could go back and offer her younger self some words of wisdom, she would share her favorite quote: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, that’s why we call it the present.

She had some thoughts to share from her experiences growing into herself, starting with her Thespian experience.

• The biggest lesson to me was to be present. I still tend to be the planner. I’m planning for tomorrow. Sometimes, when you’re so hyperfocused on tomorrow, you’re missing what’s going on today. Sometimes you miss out on the little things.
• Go after what you want. I moved away in junior year and I was not happy in Georgia. I begged and pleaded and my mom finally let me come back. It was really one of the best decisions that I think I could have done for myself. Even though I was young, I knew that environment was not where I wanted to be. And then I came back and did one of the greatest things in my life which was be in “The Wiz.” It showed me that you can do anything, if you put your mind to it. If you want it, you can achieve it. Go for it. Don’t put yourself in a box, don’t put yourself in the corner.

What is Hadiyah grappling with now?

This is often a tough question for my guests. Hadiyah paused for a moment, and with a quiet, solemn voice, shared:

I have always wanted to be a mom.

This is the crux of so many internal battles that women have faced for years. For Hadiyah, between the circumstances of growing up in a single parent home and choosing a different path for herself in a high intensity, high responsibility career, one of her biggest desires of raising a family has not yet come to fruition. You can tell that this is a source of quiet sadness for her, but her eternal optimism keeps her from getting mired by it. Her story isn’t sealed, and the future is yet unknown; anything is possible.

Jury’s still out…I’m definitely on that path to become a mother and I believe that God will bless me.

Hadiyah’s sage advice

Give yourself grace. We are all learning, every single day. The people that you look up to and you admire, were all where you are. You’re gonna stumble, you’re gonna fall. Get back up and try again. The only way you fail is if you don’t try.

Hadiyah’s self-care practices

• Care and beauty. A consistent hair, nails and pedi routine helps her to love on herself, so she can love on others.
• Travel. My life is soooooo dope because I travel and see the world. There’s so much outside of Spring Valley, New York. Travel is the ultimate gift to yourself.
• Fellowship. Hadiyah loves to spend time in her tribe, surrounding herself with family and friends who are loving and enjoying life.

Self care looks good on her.

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