The general manager of Newark Liberty International Airport is set to retire at the end of March after over 30 years with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Diane Papaianni says that she started with the agency 38 years ago as an entry-level secretary. She worked her way up through the agency and said that she was often the only woman in the room.

“I just asked a lot of questions. And some people liked that about me, and some people say, ‘Do you ever stop asking questions?’ But that’s the way I learned,” Papaianni says. “And I continued to just move forward.”

Papaianni says that she took night classes to get bachelor’s and master’s degrees, while also raising a family.

“I have two daughters,” she says. “Don’t be afraid to set your goals high, because if there’s something you want to do, you know there’s definitely opportunities and ways to make that happen.”

Papaianni was appointed to the position in 2016.