Meet Chanda Owens, VP of Quality @ Cue Health for Athena's Blueprint for Success podcast. As a black woman and engineering student at UC Berkeley, it was clear her career path would be neither easy or comfortable. Intuitively, Chanda knew it was essential to find a support system early in her academic career and push through the struggle of feeling all alone and the shame of the struggle itself. She took her chemical engineering degree and her industry passion and refused to take no for an answer before landing an internship at Johnson & Johnson that would turn into an impressive 18-year stint.

In the face of micro-aggressions and a demoralizing culture, Chanda ultimately reached a turning point in her career. "I realized, I'm no longer going to dim my light in order to placate others who leave me feeling not good enough." Chanda continued by revealing how she nearly left engineering altogether .... and the moment that changed the direction of her career.

Listen or watch to learn how Chanda effectively managed these career twists and turns, combined with her love of the industry and her tenacity to push forward, that ultimately defines her illustrious journey as a highly respected STEM executive.