You prepare yourself for the professional path you want to take in life, but you never know where your career might take you. Just ask Kelly Smith Beaty, a 30-year-old public relations rep and former Black Enterprise intern who will appear on the newest season of Donald Trump’s The Apprentice.
Beaty, who was born in North Carolina and raised in Georgia, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Spelman College and a master’s degree in public communication from American University. She’s dreamed big since she was a little girl, and her knack for spotting opportunities and capitalizing on them has served her well throughout her career.
Read Beaty’s official biography for The Apprentice.
In this last installment of our three-part interview (read Part 1, and Part 2) Beaty updates Black Enterprise on what she’s been doing since her summer internship.
What have you learned from doing The Apprentice?
I’ve learned to chase my dreams. This season is different because it deals with people who, in whatever capacity, were dealt a bad deal in life. Two weeks before the casting of the show I received my termination from a company with which I’d once had a great professional relationship and that I held in the highest regard. I couldn’t understand what was happening to me or why. I’d studied my entire life, preparing to get to where I was professionally and, in the blink of an eye, it was gone. That could have easily been the end of my story, but it turned out to be only the beginning. From the first time I ever saw the first episode of The Apprentice
Has it opened any doors for you?
Well, right now, the only door I’m focused on is the one that leads to my new office within the Trump Organization. My eyes are still very much glued to that prize!
What are your plans for the near future?
In the near future, I plan to enjoy the two-hour season premiere of The Apprentice, which will air September 16, at 9:00 p.m. EST!