Kiana Bauer
Kiana Bauer (she, her, hers) - Business Mentor
Stationary hoarder. Foodie. World-seeker.
As a Business mentor at the Academy, Kiana looks forwards to learning along with each cohort. Working to share the process and value of the Academy experience to anyone willing to listen. She believes that by equipping people with the skills and knowledge they need, they can contribute to building a brighter and more inclusive future for everyone. Kiana enjoys assisting learners in finding the best practices in collaborating, project management, and promoting themselves, their teams, and all the creations they ideate.
Prior to joining the Academy as a mentor, Kiana made her way through the inaugural cohort of Apple Developer Academy in Detroit, continued on to the Renaissance program at the Academy as the Project Manager of the Marketing and Recruiting Team and a Foundation program mentor. In these roles, she collaborated with team members, stakeholders, and potential partners to introduce the Academy’s digital and physical presence within Academy Alumni, the Detroit community and outwards to other Apple Developer Academies.
Kiana attended Mount Holyoke College and earned her bachelor’s of art degree in Political Science. When not in the Academy, you can find Kiana trying new foods, enjoying some coffee, exercising, or playing Dungeon’s and Dragon’s.
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What would your fellow mentors say your greatest strengths are?
I made sure to ask several colleagues for this: Organization, People Person, and Research.
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If you were to offer students one piece of advice as they start their journey at the Academy, what would it be?
Whatever you learn compounds, so have fun in the process and stay open to all the areas you could learn from!
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What was your experience with coding, tech, iOS, or entrepreneurship before the Academy?
I spent a lot of time in “managerial” roles without realizing I consistently ended up there. However, I was interested in wanting to build things, but I kept pushing off the deep dive into tech until taking a few classes of computer science and some hardware-oriented design in college. The Academy’s framework helped me gain a better understanding of what I learned in college and how to use those skills in the many areas available within the technology business.
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What made you want to be a mentor? What are you most excited about?
I loved my experience in the academy and it genuinely changed my course in life. Going through the Renaissance program helped me be on the ground talking with potential learners and seeing how much the Academy could help other learners find their passion or change of course. I am excited to see the learners each year build their skills and find the confidence in themselves through the Academy process.