Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Keeping It Real with Doctor Linda Chin. This
is the podcast where real life choices need biblical truth
without the plot. Tune in every second and fourth Monday
at dpm in Eastern Standard Time as Doctor Chen shares
faith filled, practical insights to navigate everyday challenges. Get ready
(00:22):
for real talk, real life and real answers.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Good afternoon, Good afternoon, Good after noon. Welcome to another
episode of Keeping It Real with Doctor Linda Chin. I'm Audrega,
currently the producer of the show, and please excuse my voice.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
This is Atlanta Tech Week.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
We kicked it off yesterday, so if you're in the
Atlanta metro area, please go out and visit all of
the events they have gone on for Atlanta Tech. We
some amazing people talking about some amazing things all over
at Lane to all over the Tri State Try County area.
Speaker 4 (00:54):
It's just amazing.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
We were at Atlanta Tech prodcuest today. It had to
be a good nine hundred eighty nine people registered for
a Sunday event, which was crazy, and about eight hundred
of those people showed up throughout the day and it
was all day.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
I got there at.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
About nine point thirty and I left out of there
about seven o'clock. So my voice is pretty much shot
right now and I'm trying to try not restrain as much.
But we got a great show. We're going to continue
to talk right down the bain of Atlanta Tech. Weve
Gottor Tennis on a mission to talk to women in tech,
and her guest today is another woman in text. She
is the title of this show is called I Am
(01:28):
Stem Too, So she's gonna be talking to a wonderful
guest about her name is Smith Knita Simmons, about more
stem technology and what what women are doing and moves
that they're making. So without further ado, I'm gonna bring
them to the stage, let's bring them up. Good afternoon again. Hi,
good afternoon, Good afternoon, Good afternoon. I love it, Audrey.
(01:51):
Even though you have been doing what you do. I
thank you for always showing up and doing it with excellence.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
We appreciate at you more than you know.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
So hold your voice until the end of the show,
because you know you got to come back on for us, right,
Yes me, okay, thank you, thank you today to have
my beautiful god daughter, I you know, I'm just grateful
for who she is. And then I get to be
her godmommy, and she is the wonderful Knita Simmons. I
(02:22):
could say so many things about her.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
But we're gonna keep it real.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
We're gonna keep it professionally and keep it real today
and let the Holy Spirit have his way as well,
because this is a faith based show. And so we've
been talking about women in STEM and I wanted to
bring forth and highlight women who look like us, who
are in the sciences and in the technology. And Kneita
happens to be in the electro mechanical field. And she's
(02:51):
a deputy product line manager for Precisions, Guidance and Sensing
solutions business and the electronic systems sector. And she's responsible
for leading a portfolio and a team that deliver critical
seeking solutions to unlock the next generation of war fighter
capabilities right and acceleration progress on keeper suits. She's been
(03:14):
with this company over sixteen years seventeen years and has
supported them in seven different sites covering engineering and product management,
capture management, and in her previous role same business, she
was site executive Program Director, Chief of staff and so
I could go on and on and on about her.
(03:36):
She's obtained her MBA with a concentration in aerospace and
Defense from UT and her bachelor's in electro Mechanical engineering
in Wentworth.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
And I'm reminding me to tell you something later about that, Canda.
And so she's active.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
I love this that she's active, an active member, not
just a sitting member of Society of Women Engineers, National
Society of Black Engineers, and Women in Aerospace. And recently,
as recently as last year, she was recognized by Huntsville
Business Journal as top forty under forty and named by
(04:12):
the Washington exec as one of the top Huntsville area
exits to watch, So keep your eye out for. You know,
she loves family, she loves mentoring students and the early
career professional stage. I love that focusing on stem fields.
We need more of this and we need to talk
about it more. She volunteers in the community, you know,
through her church and one of the things that y'all know,
(04:33):
she's my goddaughter right because she loves.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Singing and dancing and traveling together.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Yes, and they have a beautiful two year old daughter,
Aria Tanita. Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to Keeping it Real with
doctor ten. I'm so glad you're here today.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
I'm blessed to be here and just appreciate you more
than you know. Thank you for thinking of me. This
is a topic that I'm super passionate about, as you
are already know, and it's my background states as well.
So looking forward to the discussion.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
So tell us, aside from the bio with all the
tech talk you know, for our listeners, tell us a
little bit what all of that means without giving away
top secrets.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
Certainly.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
So you mentioned that my MBA was concentrated in aerospace
and defense largely, I've been in that aspect of the industry,
really heavily focused on aircraft upfront, so bringing my engineering
to bear for readiness and sustain in aircraft maintenance, aircraft upgrades,
(05:40):
all for DD warfighters, some also being international type customers.
That has evolved into a space now of weapons systems
for myself. So now we create systems where we protect
those who protect us is the motto of our company.
(06:00):
Via systems, and we are creating life saving critical systems
for our men and women in uniform.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
Awesome, Awesome, I love it. I love it.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
I love it, And what I love is that you
are so well rounded, right because I know you personally.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
But you're so well rounded.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
You're not just a tech head, and you're not just
an egghead full of knowledge and you know intellect and
all of that. I love what you bring to the table.
So how did you get into your profession?
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Oh that's a really great question. So my background is
engineering again, and I have two parents that were also engineers.
They were electrical engineers, So it's a little bit in
my DNA, I would say, being exposed to it as
just a young child through their jobs and what they
(06:54):
would do and expose us, and you bring your kids
to work day things of that nature. But I will
tell you I've always curious. So even as a young child,
I think I was maybe eight or nine when the
toaster broke in our house and I was too short
to even reach it on the counter, So I jumped
up on the counter and started dissembling it, taking it apart,
(07:18):
and my mom walks in the room says, what are
you doing, And I said, well, the toaster's not working,
so I want to figure out why it was broken
if I'm going to fix it. So, even at a
young age, just having a curiosity about how things worked
really kind of started the problem. Solving motion for me.
And then in the third grade, we had a project
(07:39):
and it involved learning about magnets in the polarities of magnets.
My mother brought home a very large industrial horseshoe magnet
and I was to take it to school and we were,
you know, put the filings on there and see how
they moved. But first I walked up to the TV
because I'm like, surely this doesn't effect on the TV,
(08:00):
and I watched all the colors pull forward and my
dad bought a new TV out of it. He wasn't
so happy, but it was just another example of my
level of curiosity again how things worked. And finally what
really sold me was a seventh grade science project that
(08:22):
I did creating a Hayes detector out of conventional household items,
and at this time it was a VHS case. I'm
telling my age a little bit. We made a simple
circuit and attached it to the VHS case and we
ran mathematical equations logarithmic equations and tested the electrons in
(08:46):
the air, and the equations told us how much pollution
there was in the local community and where smog was
a big thing at the time, especially out western California
when I was in seventh grade. So that project took
us to the state Science Fair. We won a math award,
and I was just elated at where technology could take us.
(09:11):
From that moment on, I said, I wanted to be
an engineer.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Wow, wow, wow wow. And you have far surpassed what
your parents right have done. I know your dad was
one of the Black Engineers of the Year a couple
of times, and so you know you it really is
in your DNA and I'm really just proud of the
work that you do and how you keep yourself from
(09:38):
not really revealing company secrets and all of that. But
I want to ask you to what, if any obstacles
did you face early on in your career or even before.
Did you experience any obstacles getting into school? Yeah, wonderful question.
And when you think about it, you know, you think about.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Where we are today's day and age, and everyone would
love to believe that. You know, while we recognized the
progress we've made when we look back, we look forward
and still see the progress we.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
Have to go.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
That very much. So being part of my journey in
this case as well, getting into school wasn't necessarily a
challenge due to good grades and volunteerism and things that
my parents helped set me up for. However, once I
was in school, it was challenging being in the engineering field.
(10:36):
The male to female ratio was eight to two my
freshman year when I showed up on campus, and so
there were very few females, especially in engineering. There were
five of us young women in my class, in particular
for mechanical engineering, so didn't have a lot of young
(10:57):
women to turn to. And I was the only an
American female in my class out of those five. So
challenge on top of challenge, and what that looked like
was when we had labs, which we started off right
away at my school, having engineering labs aligned with theory courses.
(11:17):
I was picked last. It was like being on the
school yard and being that kid that no one wanted
on their kickball team. That's what it felt like every week.
And so there was an assumption there, right, you know,
we're not familiar with someone of her demographic and background.
(11:38):
We don't know if she's smart enough, can she do
the work? And so there was a lot of those
questions that quite frankly challenged me and built up some
doubt within me as I worked to try to prove
myself but also find others that I could work with
and study with. And then fast forward to junior design
(12:00):
project that I had. There was a group there and
again I was one of the last picked for the group.
And you would think after a few years of still
hanging in there, people would trust your ability. But I
was in a group of all males, all white males,
and they didn't tell me when they were meeting for
a group of assignments. They didn't share notes with me.
(12:23):
We were having to do engineering notebook assignments and I
had it was so bad I had to go to
my professor and let him know that I was openly
being discriminated again. So it's strange to think that even
in the two thousands, that's still going on.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
Yes, it is.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
It is very real, and I would say that through
undergrad that was my challenge there. So still experiencing racial discrimination,
endure all facets, yes, and certainly doubts about competency and ability.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
How did you deal with that emotionally?
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Oh that's a good one, prayer, But I will tell
you at her there were some nights I went back
to my dorm room and cried yeah, just wondering how
to navigate, and quite frankly, if it weren't for my mother,
who's an excellent, excellent tutor and teacher at heart, I
(13:26):
would scan in pages of my textbook and tell her
I don't understand what's going on in class. The professors
has a thick accent, and you know I'm unable to learn.
Can you help me? And we would sit on the
phone to night and she would help tutor me to
get through doing the equations and various things. I had
(13:48):
a lot of support from my parents. My father's company
helped sponsor the design project. So funny enough, we got
the grade we got because of a lot of the
software work that my mother's company and my father's company
helps support. So you know, it comes full circle. You
(14:11):
try not to focus on the negative and push forward
to know what you had to do. I couldn't let
that stop me from achieving a goal, and I'm also
achieving a grade.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
Well, anyone who would jump up on the counter to
that right there, that.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
You're gonna do what you needed to do and wonder
what a magnet would do to a television I mean, see,
this is what we've got to understand.
Speaker 4 (14:38):
About God.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
And I hope you all who are listening, who may
have daughter's interest in the STEM program, stick with them.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Help them.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
If you do not help them, get somebody else to
help them. Your company may be a sponsor, but stick
with them and encourage them, even if you don't know,
if you're not an engineer or you don't have.
Speaker 4 (15:01):
A STEM background.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
The support I think is huge because a lot of
times it's in these ages and in college where kids
just give up. They give up if they don't have
the proper support system.
Speaker 4 (15:15):
And you know, the whole emotional part.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
I just I love the fact that you shared the
humanity part where you just cried. There are some nights
when you're just going to cry and you're going to
feel like giving up. But don't give up, young ladies,
young men, do whatever you do.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
Don't give up. Don't give up. Don't give up.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
So I wonder what some of these gentlemen would say
now if you ran into them, What challenges do you
face now as a young black female engineer.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Yeah, I'll take a shorter side because I just recently
ran into one of those gentlemen from that very same project,
probably about a couple months ago. While I was on
travel for work and my husband happened to be traveling
with me as well. And I'll tell you it didn't
(16:06):
come up, but it was gratifying to to just meet
and catch up and talk about the things that we're doing.
And he works for a company that is a supplier
to my company. So it was a full circle moment.
But good always gets the last laugh.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, So he knew your name before
you saw your face again, Yeah, oh my goodness.
Speaker 4 (16:32):
I love God.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
But I also wanted to say, this is how when
scripture says train up a child in the way they
should go so that when they're old they don't.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
Depart from it. It's not just.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Training up a child spiritually, it is watching their natural
bend in life and supporting that. And I know some
parents' children who i've you know, have come to me.
One wanted to be a ballet dancer, but the parents
didn't support that. But and to this day she still
(17:04):
loves to dance. I mean, it's a wonderful thing. So
watch your children, study your children and help them in
that natural ben because in the body of Christ, we
are a body of believers who needs to be everywhere
God wants representation, for lack of a better term, in
(17:25):
every sector, every place, all over the world. So pay
attention to your children's natural bin and support it as
best you can. So how do you use canetam your
influence as a young black engineer, female engineer.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Yeah, that's another great question and something that I'm very
passionate about and conscious of. Quite frankly so for me,
I am very involved, as you mentioned upfront, in very
engineering organizations. One of my passions is give back, particularly
to underpriplege within the STEM community because I know how
(18:03):
challenging it was for me coming up. I just love
encouraging the next generations of children that desire to challenge
themselves and go to the next level of education. So
I've done various career fairs. I do hiring suites as
(18:23):
well for our company, particularly trying to build up the
pipeline of our young talent and what's the next generation.
I've contributed to projects for early career folks. We have
sponsored and partnered with local universities locally here in Alabama.
(18:44):
I work with the Alabama A and M University and
we sponsor STEM projects where they're in competition and looking
to solve specific problems that we categorize for them, and
they work with a group of folks and write white papers,
and we offer a prize money as like scholarship and
seed money for them to continue to grow their ideas
(19:07):
as well. And so just various stem outreach opportunities. I
do speaking engagements and sit on panels really just to
try to encourage others. I think it's important to share
your story as well, because when you can look up
and see others that look like you, it's a lot
easier to aspire to that and have something to look
(19:30):
forward to. Hey, if she did it, I can do
it too.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
Yeah, big thing.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
So have any relationships developed from some of those programs
and sponsoring some of these young people, like, have you
developed relationships?
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Absolutely? Mentorship is something that I'm big on. So I
always try to make myself available for those that want
to keep in touch. I've done that here locally and afar.
So there's other professionals now they're in the working world,
they don't work at my company, but we still keep
(20:04):
in touch. I know about their growing families as well
as they've gotten married and have children, and we just
talk time to time about what's going on in their
world and sharing advice. So often it's this sounding board
as well that I can serve as for them, having
gone through various things in my career where I'm at
(20:26):
so a lot of mentorship type deal. And then I
partner heavily, heavily with the University of Tennessee as well
and sit on the board of directors for their Aerospace
and Defense MBA program, which has been a privilege and
honor certainly to encourage those students that are coming through
to get their degree and help get feedback on their
(20:51):
senior projects, as well as offer advice and some potential
sponsorship through our companies. So we try to continue to
funnel talent through and then always share information on what's
going on within our realm of opportunity. And it's built
(21:11):
a network, i'll say, between the industry, government, and private
sector alike, which has continued. A few folks have come
through and I've shared requisitions that are open all on
my side. So definitely connective tissue from a mentorship level,
but also from colleague to colleague.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Yes, I love it. I love it well. Hello Miss
Milicia Jacobs. I see Miss Milicia and doctor Hopper and
the show. Welcome, Thank you for joining us today. Thank
you for joining. I want to ask you, have you
ever had to talk any of them off the cliff?
Speaker 4 (21:49):
Ah?
Speaker 3 (21:51):
Yeah, they probably had to talk me off the clip
as well. I think that naturally, throughout your journey, there's
it ebbs and flows, there's peaks and valleys, and there's
challenges along the way, and oftentimes when you're facing those
challenges for the first time, it may be tough to
(22:14):
see your way through. So seeking advice is certainly something
that I still do, and it's certainly something that my
mentees and other colleagues have done as well. So so
absolutely there will be adversity.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
It's good that you can be there for them professionally
and I'm sure personally right as their career are tracking
and their children, they're growing families, they're getting married, and
you know, how do you do all of this? And
so I love that, And that's what I love about
keeping it real. You know, we've got to know, even
as we grow as professionals, don't forget to reach back,
(22:53):
don't forget to be human.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
And and you know, well you did it. You'll be
all right, you know I did it.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
You'll be okay, but and you and share the struggles,
not just to triumphs, but the struggles, and that's what
helps people keep it real and keep people from.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
You know, jumping off the cliff and quitting. And I
love that.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
So how would you encourage or advise young black males
OI and or females who want to go into the
engineering field.
Speaker 4 (23:21):
What would you say to them today?
Speaker 3 (23:25):
I would tell them to follow their dreams and no
matter how challenging the road may seem, that that don't
give up is very important. And statistics will always be statistics,
So people like to put those numbers in front of you,
especially if they find you're of a unique portion of
(23:47):
that statistic. So oftentimes people will assume, hey, you're going
into engineering, you must be awesome at science and math. Well,
I struggled in math most of my school career, and
I had to work extremely hard to come up and
get tutored quite frankly, and achieve the grades I needed
(24:10):
to achieve to continue to progress on. But I didn't
let that discourage me from opening up my aperture to
go into the engineering field and career. I was determined
to overcome that particular challenge for myself, so I wasn't
listening to the stereotypes of what I was supposed to
(24:32):
be as an engineer. And I would encourage other young
folks looking to go into that field or any other
field that's in their passion, to follow their dream and
know that your path is your path unique, and mine's
been unconventional. So I'm convinced, hey, that God's had a
hand all in it. I know that to be true.
(24:55):
But be that He can use you if you yield
to him and use any platform for your good, and
he can open doors that no man can shut, doors
that no man can open. And so just continuing on
that path and knowing that each pivot point there's purpose
(25:17):
in that. Say that again, each pivot point that you
have along the way in your journey, there's purpose in that.
And I believe that to be true. There's been a
lot of twists and turns in my own journey, but
I know that each relocation, each decision to take a
new role, each denial getting into a program was all
(25:42):
for my good and it was a setup for what
has had for me. And when I look back, I
could start to see where the dots were connecting. And
so just to know that, let your path be unique,
let it be your own. Don't let anybody try to
write your for you. No one can write your story
better than you can write it for yourself. And to
(26:06):
trust the process, hold to your faith, and it will
work out. It will work out.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
I love it. I love it. I love it.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Each pivot has a purpose. Each pivot has a purpose.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
I love it. Last year we had on doctor.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Shanahan who has a PhD in biology with cancer research,
breast cancer research and so forth, and she was saying
her journey wasn't straight either, and further, she was sharing
how some of the things she went through helped develop
her character. Right, So this is a question, I know,
(26:41):
I want to throw that in there. How do you
feel like some of the things you went through developed
your character? Were there things about yourself that you need
you felt you needed to maybe not do so much
or be so much, or change or how did you
have to pivot?
Speaker 3 (26:58):
Oh gosh, Yeah, that's that's a great question. And I
will say that I think that has evolved in each
phase through my journey. So just being up and coming
and a junior engineer in the field, you kind of
you start to grow that tough skin and thick skin
of needing to prove yourself. So I carried a lot
(27:19):
of that with me, and so I would be proud
of myself when when I was able to prove that
I could do a tour, was knowledgeable enough in this portion.
As I started to grow into teams where I had
indirect reports, not direct reports, yet that looked a little different.
(27:40):
So I kind of carried that individual contributor mentality which
did not work with or for small and large teams
as I progressed, and so then I had to learn
how to shift to that team mentality right and deal
with the different personalities and perspectives and adversity. And then
(28:04):
as I evolved into people management, that looked a little
bit more different. That looked like giving more of myself
to the team and understanding it's not just about the
work and the business, but with people comes, you know
everything that they come with, their lives, what's going on
with them, and that's just as important as the work,
(28:26):
because when they're not at their best, your team's not
at your best, and the work's not at the best either.
And then morphing into i'll say directorship and having P
and L or profit and loss responsibility over a business
that's on an even broader scale. So how to change
(28:49):
your mentality of just your immediate team in knowing how
you're impacting the broader team and business and strategy and
how that strategy needs down and how it flows back
up and then needing to communicate that up and out.
So I've been stretched from i'll say a leadership standpoint
(29:13):
all along those ways and my communication. I've been forced
to be put out in front and share messages, so
presentation skills and things of that nature that I wouldn't
say it wasn't necessarily innate for me. I've always been
somewhat of an extrovert, but having to hone those other skills,
(29:35):
so that's really evolved along the way for myself and
needing to challenge myself in ways to grow and then
personally it's really as life happens, because I think, right,
and as you grow and different responsibilities. So I'm married now,
(29:57):
I've got a young daughter, as you mentioned in a
two year old, and and we've got another sweet baby
girl on the way. So wearing the different hats of
wife and mother and uh corporate executive. That that's that's
very different and needing to balance the time too, but
knowing that my personal time and how I show up
(30:18):
for my family is important and not missing those milestone events.
So that's also had challenged me what I need to
do for myself for my schedule to help all of
that balance out, because you end up giving right to
all the things in others and then you've got to
(30:42):
make sure you replenish and pour back into you so
you can continue to be your best self. So that's
also been a personal journey too for me.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
And so what I'm also hearing is that your leadership
skills have been developed and built up. So even though
we're talking about STEM, let's let's be honest, this whole
thing led into a leadership role that you may not
have thought about and maybe not well, you didn't have time,
because there's another pivot, right, and there's another level of growth.
(31:12):
And I love how this is how all things work
together for the good of them that love God and
are called according to His purpose and your purpose in life.
I also heard other things as you were talking that
your purpose sometimes changes and shifts, and you have to
shift and change when your purpose and your roles change.
(31:36):
But at the end of the day, I personally know
you're a very compassionate person. So I love that again
that you're not just the egg hag engineer. You know,
we say that, but I know many engineers who don't
show and exhibit this level of compassion when you're leading
guide people. And so it's not just black and white.
(31:58):
So how what do you think is most important factor
you would share with a young girl in STEM, Like,
if you had to give one nugget, just one, what
would that nugget be.
Speaker 3 (32:16):
That's a really good question. One nugget for STEM tap
into what makes you you and always bring you to
the table. And I know that's not a technical piece
(32:39):
of advice, but I will tell you when you're able
to do that, it doesn't matter what you're working on.
It brings the best out of that product, out of
that that work package, out of you individually, and it'll
show you things about yourself. The more you were able
(33:01):
to tap into you and be you, that's what makes
it special, that's what makes it unique, and that's what
starts to amplify your testimony and what you bring to
the table. And your testimony is powerful because as you
build up within your journey and you start to share
(33:22):
and encourage others. That is the piece that's really going
to encourage, lift up and be remembered quite frankly, so
I'd love it. Tap into what makes you you. It
is really special. And the other piece I will say
is once you get to a place where you have
(33:44):
the ability to give back and open the door and
lay a platform for somebody else, it is your duty
and responsibility to do so because we are all here
because someone opened the door for us at one point
in time. I have used that person to be that instrument,
(34:06):
but someone was there to open that door.
Speaker 4 (34:08):
So it's our.
Speaker 3 (34:09):
Responsibility to help the next person and be able to
open the door for someone else. Do not hold on
to that knowledge, Do not hold on to those gems
that you have to share with others, because that's how
we continue to progress. There doesn't need to be more
Canitias out there, right or more lends out there? There
(34:30):
needs to be more us.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, beautiful, beautiful, Come as you are,
so to speak, Come as you are.
Speaker 4 (34:39):
I want to ask you one more question.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Before Audrey comes back on, and that is this, and
I think about a lot of our conversations. You know
just as family right when we talk, and I know
certain things that are important to you that you hold
on to. What legacy do you wish to leave in
this sector, in the engineering field, as a black female engineer,
(35:07):
what legacy do you wish to leave?
Speaker 3 (35:12):
I wish to lead the legacy that I wasn't afraid
to authentically lead, to stand firm and the foundation of
Jesus Christ too is the head of my life, and
be able to lead with integrity and not sacrifice my
(35:34):
morals and values and beliefs because of whatever adversity was
thrown at me. I also want to be remembered as
the person when they think of Kanita, that she was
able to be resilient and use adversity to continue to
(35:58):
inform her rather than interrupt how she shows up.
Speaker 4 (36:04):
Wow, that's powerful. Say that again.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
I want people when they remember Kneita to think of
someone who never allowed adversity to discourage her, to interrupt
the way she shows up as a leader, but rather
use it to further inform her.
Speaker 4 (36:29):
So can I tell you what I like most about
this answer? And I don't fault myself in any way.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
I love the fact that you said nothing about being
black and being a female.
Speaker 4 (36:38):
This was about being a person of integrity.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
We already made the point that we'd like to see
more of us, and I believe that you've kind of
helped change some of those ratios. But she's talking about
the human point and the integrity point and letting adversity
be a springboard versus being something negative to bring you
into a dark place or to go down a rabbit
hole that doesn't even need to be a hole with
a rabbit in it. Thank you so much, Audrey, come
(37:07):
back on and talk and let's see what note you
took a questions that you may have from our guests
being there today. This Candia Simmons, this was amazing. You know, doctor,
You know I love anything tech, so I'm all over
here and taking notes and writing down things.
Speaker 4 (37:24):
Knita.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
There have been more women that have gotten into tech
over the years, but they're still a big gap in
women in tech, and a lot of them are still
very definitely afraid of tech. What can we do to
to to let them understand, help them understand that this
is this is a place for you. I was at
the Atlanta Tech we kicked off yesterday. It was a
(37:48):
lot of women there right.
Speaker 4 (37:50):
And what I saw it was almost it was kind
of weird.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
But what I saw all the women that came to
talk to me straight out of college, a lot of them, right,
they were all leaning towards one.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
Thing, data science everybody.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
So they were coming into tech, but they were all
just everybody said the same thing, data science. Made It
reminds me of back in the day when you so
everybody was a secretary of everybody that were they wanted
to be a teacher.
Speaker 4 (38:13):
Everybody was saying data science.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
So my friend, she said, why is everybody talking about
data science? So we're getting more women into tech, but
they seem to be leaning towards data science. So what
can we do to show them that there are more
opportunities out there and that the door is open for
them and they just need to decide to walk through it.
That's really great.
Speaker 3 (38:33):
I think I'm really big on the partnerships that we
have with certain local organizations that particularly cater to the
youth and to the underprivileged population. For example, Girls who
Code is an organization that to partner with, and we
had a young group of local team come in and
(38:56):
talk about their robotics project, also talk about out the
challenges though that they had with that, and they got
to do a listening session with Q and A with
a panel of US leaders. We brought them into the office,
we showed them the things that we're working on, they
showed us what they were working on, and then we
just talked about the challenges through their project. And I
(39:17):
will tell you it's very similar to the challenges that
we face day to day at work. So the age
gap didn't really matter, and they were very encouraged to
I think know that there were similarities, but also hear
the vulnerabilities of us as well. So software is something
that I also was very challenged with in school. So
(39:40):
encouraging them to really look at the spaces in which
are challenging them. And oftentimes, this is a great quote
that we've shared recently with our staff, it's oftentimes what
is in the way becomes the way. There is no
better way to take on challenge and overcome it then
(40:01):
to go through it. You can't avoid it, can't hide
from it. Going around it doesn't get any better, You'll
never really learn that way, but to take it head
on and go through. So I think just continuing to
partner with the organization to try to reach the youth
when they're young and thinking about what it is that
they want to do when they grow up, and encouraging
(40:24):
them to not be discouraged by those things that challenge them,
but to really look at that and say, hey, is
there something really there that a they can learn from
that be that they can grow into and essentially lead
and encourage someone else. So the tech field is broad.
(40:44):
It's very very broad, and so oftentimes we kind of
go in and think that we have to have one
specific thing. I thought I was just going to be
an electrical engineer when I learned into electro mechanical and
that turned into me falling in love with the mechanical side.
And then I caught the business bug a few years
later and transitioned into project management, which took me elsewhere.
(41:05):
And so be open, be open to the journey of
being surprised by the things that you will find interest in.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
One of the things that I have learned, you're right
about that you don't know which way you're going to go,
because I tell people all the time, I was really
good with math and in math and science and school,
but I've written eleven books now here I am at
the good old age of I'm not going to share
that doing tech like heavily into tech, don't you know
what I mean? Like love and tech. But I want
(41:35):
to go back to something. I want to talk about
education for a second. There are so many opportunities out
there right now where young folks can go to school
and have a nano degree in six to eight weeks
and six to eight months. When you think about like
a Udacity or Google University or those type of things.
Speaker 4 (41:53):
Even Harvard.
Speaker 3 (41:54):
My daughter emailed me.
Speaker 2 (41:55):
Last text me last week and she said, hey, there
are some classes at Harvard that are free. What should
I do? So she sent me all the classes. I
was like, we'll take this one, this one, and this one.
They're free classes. So do you think that people need
to spend the money on college anymore to get into
these spaces, into these careers in these industries? You know,
because I know back in the day that we were
(42:15):
told go to school, get a cause degree.
Speaker 3 (42:17):
Do you think they still need to do that? I
would say again, go back to your path can be
very unconventional, and you should embrace what that is for you.
I've known people that never went to school a day
in their life and then started a business and that
took off and they're millionaires now. So I would just
(42:38):
be encouraged by what's driving your interest, shut yourself up
to develop a plan and execute that plan. I think
it's good to have a focus and like really know
your why. Even if that focus shifts and changes, you
still got to be able to have a reason and
intentionality with that pivot point. I think there's plenty of
(43:01):
things to learn on the internet. There's wonderful free courses
offered by a lot of these prestigious schools, and you
can gain a whole certificate degree and I think that
just adds value to your toolkit and what you bring
to the table. But again, the most powerful thing you'll
bring to the table is you and whatever that is.
(43:22):
And usually those that end up I'll say being able
to achieve their best self and success is because they
really tapped into what made them them and that special
thing that they were passionate about. And sometimes you don't
know that unless you try different things. You also try
thinks that don't work out, so you know what not
(43:44):
to do.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
I had a conversation with a young lady. She was
twenty eight years old. She was a psycho therapist. And
she wasn't really happy with that industry. So I said,
why did you go into that industry? It's like, well,
you know, I wanted to help people, but once I
got in there, I realized, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (44:00):
I really want to do this.
Speaker 2 (44:01):
I need to make a lot of money right now,
I said. I said, listen, let me let me tell
you something about chasing money. Do not chase money.
Speaker 3 (44:08):
I said, whatever you.
Speaker 4 (44:09):
Do, you have to start with your heart.
Speaker 3 (44:11):
I said, if you start with your.
Speaker 2 (44:12):
Heart when things are rough and they go bad, your
heart is going to help you continue to go.
Speaker 3 (44:17):
I said, so start.
Speaker 2 (44:18):
She was like yeah, she said, I feel like the imposter.
I said, I get that. You're gonna feel like that too.
I don't care what that is. You start with your heart.
I talk to them so much. I've never talked to
so many young people in my life at one time.
Speaker 4 (44:29):
It was crazy.
Speaker 3 (44:30):
And they will all.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
They have all gone through college, they have all they're
trying to figure out. You know, they're trying to make
the pivot. So let's jump to that. You talked about
that a lot. I had to make the pivot. Can
you prepare for the pivot? Sometimes?
Speaker 3 (44:43):
No, and that the best the best preparation is is
kind of going through it, quite frankly, and you're better
for it coming out of the pivot. But I'll say,
sometimes you're learning opportunities leading up to the pivot equip
you without even knowing it in little ways, I'll say,
(45:03):
but that pivot is usually a catalyst and a boost
and a challenge in a direction that most times you
don't necessarily expect or maybe even want to make at
that time. But it's growth. Growth is uncomfortable. When you're comfortable,
you're typically steady state and not stretching yourself, but there
(45:27):
is a stretching and there is a pressing in the
growth aspect of the journey. And the pivot is a
beautiful place and you don't really always see that going
through It's my dad always says, it's sometimes hard to
see the forest from the trees, particularly when you're in
the midst of it. And it could be a particular
(45:47):
storm as well, or something that's adverse or opposing to
what your thought, and sometimes what you thought and what
your plan is not necessarily what's on the other side
of the pivot, but embracing that aspect of the journey
and growth process. So yeah, the pivot can be a
(46:07):
hard place, but just know that again, ye be rooted
in the foundation of your faith and Jesus Christ is
ahead of my life and so I'll always turn to
him and the prayer to.
Speaker 4 (46:20):
Lead and guide me.
Speaker 3 (46:22):
And I know because of that that I can be
an overcomer and achieve whatever that is. Resilience defines the
pivot for me.
Speaker 2 (46:31):
Resilience defines the pivot. There's another one. Talia's got your
quotes down here. I'm loving this. Resilience defines the pivot.
But you and Orgie both said something else, and she said,
what's in your heart? And you're saying, no, you're why.
That's saying the same thing. Always know your why. I
love this and that's why we're gonna have Audrey's gonna
(46:54):
be our guests in two weeks.
Speaker 4 (46:56):
You all about.
Speaker 2 (46:58):
I'm so excited about out this and I thank our
guests for joining. I don't ever want to leave them out.
I thank you so much for supporting the show. And Kanita,
I'm so grateful for your yest. Thank you for taking
time out of your busy day, busy life and busy schedule.
And Audrey go on and do what you do, my friend.
Speaker 3 (47:19):
Listen.
Speaker 2 (47:20):
If you guys enjoyed, thank you so much, Kanita, thank
you Doctor Chen for just you know, bringing on some amazing,
amazing people to the show. I'm so I'm always so excited,
you know, to see what people have to share. We
thank you for that, and we thank our guests for that.
Speaker 4 (47:34):
Listen.
Speaker 2 (47:34):
If you enjoyed this episode, or you missed an episode,
go back listen to the old episodes, but moving forward,
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Hit the notification button. If you're listening or watching on YouTube.
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Speaker 4 (47:48):
It just free.
Speaker 2 (47:49):
So hit the notification button and subscribe to the show
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Simmons here, who has really enriched us today. So thank
(48:09):
you for listening. We'll be back again in two weeks,
same place, same time, so listen, don't forget to subscribe
so you don't miss it. I'm coming up next week.
I'm gonna be on the other side, kind of on
the other side. I sed to be on this side,
but I'll be on the other side. But thank you
Doctor Temple all the work to do, and thank you
for being who you are and what you're doing as well.
Speaker 3 (48:27):
Thank you, God, bless people. Thank you.
Speaker 4 (48:30):
Until next week, we say peace.
Speaker 2 (48:32):
We thank you for supporting and I also want you
to look on our website. We have a ministry for
young children eleven or fourteen Mary's Babies Bible Study and
we meet bi weekly as well on Sundays for an hour.
So thank you for your support and I look forward
to seeing you all in two weeks.
Speaker 4 (48:51):
Peace out, all.
Speaker 2 (48:52):
Right, y'all until next time you guys, stay safe, buy
down to next time.
Speaker 4 (48:56):
Make it a great day.
Speaker 2 (48:57):
Bye.
Speaker 1 (48:57):
Everybody listening to Keeping It Real with Doctor Linda Chin.
If you enjoyed this episode, hit the light button and
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Until next time, keep the faith and keep it real.