Kia Benion is a Chicago native and the phenomenal woman behind SoCo Sweets dessert company. In this refreshingly transparent interview, Kia shares the challenges she’s faced as a woman in STEM, her journey of battling and overcoming depression, and her ongoing evolution of fulfilling her purpose.
Kia’s story is one of triumph! She gets real with us about her experience of taking a semester off of school after feeling like a failure. Despite the obstacles she’s faced, she was able to complete her program in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech. She has a new-found strength and knows she can accomplish anything she puts her mind to. Kia is a breath of fresh air, and an inspiration to many. Her story is a reminder that all things work together for our good and that moments of failure can become defining moments that shape the course of the rest of our lives.
Here are highlights from Kia’s session with us:
On the topic of representing women in a male-dominated industry…
There is definitely this fine line that you have to teeter between you looking attractive, where [people you work with] want to engage with you and have conversations, invite you to the meetings, but you’re not overly attractive, where anything that comes out of your mouth, they’re not even listening to you because they’re too busy paying attention to how you look.
On the topic of being a young Christian professional in a big city and still representing Christ…
It’s really hard being a young professional, in a major city, and wanting to hang out and do all these things, and still display – through your actions and the things that you’re saying – that you put God first. So, for me, it’s trying to find a balance between able to enjoy myself and go out and stuff, because not all of my friends are Christians. So you can still be a normal young adult but people should see that you love God through your actions and things that you’re saying. For me, that’s constantly a work in progress…
Listen to Kia’s full interview here:
Connect with Kia on Social media @KiaBenion! To find out more about her business SoCo Sweets, a Dessert Catering Company, check it out @SoCoSweets!
Love me some Kia!!! She’s awesome!
Enjoyed this very much!