Jessica Kania has developed her passion for baking into a small business.
After graduating from Ohio State this past winter, Kania developed an online, vegan bakery shop called Conscience Bakery. All profits from the sold items are donated to charity.
Fifty percent of the profits are donated to Kiva, an online loan organization that gives loans to individuals creating small businesses in developing countries. The other 50 percent are given to Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace. This organization, which was founded by the Dalai Lama, empowers and trains women to serve as peacemakers and become more self-reliant.
“By starting a business and running it as a legitimate small business, I am learning a lot,” Kania said, “but I’m also learning about giving back.”
For Kania, baking has been an interest since a young age. She learned much of her baking skill by helping her mother, who raised her as a single parent.
“We had a lot of food nights and always tried new things,” Kania said. “My mom never goes anywhere empty-handed.”
Her mother strongly impacted her desire to cook, but she also provided Kania with a great deal of inspiration and encouragement.
“She’s a very strong, independent woman,” Kania said. “She’s been very supportive of everything I do.”
As a student at OSU, Kania was a major in international studies, economics and French. One of her most memorable experiences at the university was her involvement in the OSU Food and Culture Club.
Each week, the club visited a different ethnic restaurant in the Columbus area.
“Columbus has a lot of interesting ethnic communities that you wouldn’t know about if you stayed close to campus,” Kania said. “Most of the time, the owners and people working at the restaurants are super interested in why you’re there and telling you about their culture.”
Kania said she hopes to expand her cultural knowledge by attending graduate school at Uppsala University in Sweden next year. At the university, Kania would begin a study program called post-conflict reconstruction. This program is aimed at teaching individuals how to help war-torn countries regain a sense of peace and stability.
“After a civil war or an international conflict, I want to go in and work on the ground in helping that country or countries rebuild social, economic justice systems,” she said.
In addition to her graduate school aspirations, Kania also dreams of one day working for the United Nations.
“Ideally I want to work for the U.N. setting up truce commissions,” she said.
From the experiences in her baking business, Kania has learned the importance of the smallest moments and opportunities in life.
“You never know where something tiny might lead,” she said, “and what you can learn.”
