Kia Glean

Kia Glean graduated from Baruch College in 2025 with a B.B.A. in Operations Management and Consulting, following her A.S. in Science from Borough of Manhattan Community College in 2022. Born and raised in Grenada, the “Isle of Spice,” Kia moved to New York City after graduating high school. Although she originally envisioned a career in medicine and deeply enjoyed studying science, as she neared the completion of her associate's degree, she realized she wanted to give herself the freedom to explore beyond the path she had imagined. Through that exploration, she discovered her interest in business, operations, and project management.

As a transfer student at Baruch College, Kia became deeply involved in the campus community through peer mentorship and student leadership. She served as a Transfer Student Network Peer Mentor and First-Year Seminar Peer Mentor and held many leadership roles, including Vice President of the Transfer Student Organization, Vice Chair of Clubs & Organizations in the Undergraduate Student Government, and Orientation Leader. She contributed to the planning and redesign of Baruch’s First-Year Seminar course and taught one of the pilot classes under the newly designed model, while also gaining professional experience in operations management and logistics within the hospitality industry.

Kia hopes to build a career in project management where she can lead initiatives that create meaningful, tangible impact for communities, with a long-term goal of developing affordable housing initiatives in Grenada that give young people greater opportunities to live independently and build their futures. As a member of the inaugural class of the Columbia SPS M.S. in Project Management program and a Columbia SPS CUNY Fellow, Kia looks forward to learning from her professors and peers, exploring emerging project management practices and making the most of her time at SPS.