Sia Xiong graduated from Saint Catherine University in 2021 with her Masters in Public Health, with a concentration in Global Health. In 2018, she was Ramsey County Public Health's first Health Equity Intern supporting the county's first Racial and Health Equity Administrator. She currently serves as a Senior Policy Analyst in the County Manager's Office for Ramsey County. Part of her role includes managing countywide projects and initiatives and determining appropriate strategies with a racial equity lens by collaborating with key leaders and partnering with community organizations. Her greatest accomplishments so far in her career has been being able to play a key role in creating and implementing Ramsey County's new flexible workplace policy.
ConnextMSP has provided Sia with new opportunities to connect with different professionals on an innovative and more interactive platform through the ConnextMSP Talent Network. During her time as a 2021 ConnextMSP Fellow, she was able to work with racially diverse leaders from various companies and learn more about the importance of representation in the workforce. Being exposed to various efforts and strategies led by ConnextMSP to support more young adults of color inspired her and allowed her to see herself in a leadership role.
The greatest challenge she has experienced so far in her career is imposter syndrome. Sometimes she feels like she is not enough or does not deserve the accomplishments and acknowledgements that she receives. The best piece of career advice she's received from a mentor is to advocate for yourself, whether that be for professional development opportunities during salary negotiations or taking time off for reflection and healing.
Her advice for young professionals of color is to remember that you're not alone. Connecting with others who are experiencing or have experienced the things you are going through is important. Find someone you can trust in the workforce to help you troubleshoot challenges and be an ear when times are difficult, and to celebrate and share successes with.
Sia hopes to eventually narrow her scope of work to focus more on workforce development and process improvements in public sector recruitment, hiring and retention. She also wants to provide mentorship to students of color who are learning about the workforce, because she knows how crucial relationship building is when finding resources and learning about new opportunities.
