Her Story
About Kiara
I've been working in healthcare administration for 10 years, since 2016. My journey in this field began as a medical office coordinator at the entry level, and I've worked my way up to the executive level. My main area of expertise is coordination - I do a lot of complex, high executive scheduling, managing travel, schedules, meetings, and events for executives. I handle their day-to-day activities, attend meetings, take minutes, and make sure they're present where they need to be. I earned my bachelor's degree in public affairs from University of Baltimore in May 2015, with a concentration in government policy. While I didn't go the route of government work, my education has served me well in my administrative career. I've been fortunate to have incredible mentors along the way, including Shelby Thomas, my pharmacy business manager when I was a pharmacy tech years ago, who was vital in my development and helped me realize my potential. She was the reason I stepped out into the admin field and didn't look back. More recently, Keisha Benjamin, a stellar executive assistant I've known for the past 2 years, has taken me on as a mentee and taught me a lot about poise, professionalism, and being seen in the room no matter what your level is.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kiara
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to just continuing to go no matter what is thrown my way. I attribute it to just never giving up. And I've had some whatevers, so definitely just never giving up. No matter what challenges come my way, I keep pushing forward and refuse to quit.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is to take your time, to not take things personal, and to just be your best self every day. I've learned that you need to give yourself the grace and space to meet your goals effectively. Sometimes just rushing to respond doesn't always get you the results that you want, so take your time. Of course, you need to meet whatever guidelines you need to meet, but do it thoughtfully and with intention.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would definitely tell young women entering this industry to take your time. Realize that, of course, you need to meet whatever guidelines you need to meet, but give yourself the grace and space to meet it effectively. You know, sometimes just rushing to respond doesn't always get you the results that you want, so take your time. Don't take things personal, and just be your best self every day.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges right now in my field, and I feel like in any field, is budget. The finances are just not as great as a society right now, and that just plays a part in any industry, I feel like, honestly. I've seen a lot of things where different companies are struggling financially, or at least on the brink of budget issues. So that's a big challenge right now. As for opportunities, I would say it's just the growing field. However, the retention is, I feel like, low at a lot of places in the world right now, so keeping that up would be stellar. Those are two big obstacles or challenges that I see right now.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
For work, it is definitely respect, being punctual, and just showing up as your best self. I try to hone in on that no matter what you're going through at home. Personally, I would say the same - be yourself for you, because if you're not okay for you, then you can't be okay for anything or anyone else. Just love on yourself. You know, you are your number one fan, no matter what you think. Loving yourself, being true to yourself, knowing what is for you and what is not - and sometimes that means making hard decisions to step away from things that are not for you. So, definitely, loving yourself and being true to yourself is my biggest personal value.
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