- Brea: Tell me about yourself.
Aysha: Hello! My name is Aysha Malik and I’m currently a senior at Shenandoah University, pursing a degree in Mass Communications with a Public Relations emphasis and an Entrepreneurship minor. It’s crazy that its already senior year- its been a fun ride but I’m ready to get out there into the real world!
I also serve as President for my chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, a women’s fraternity focused on music and service. I’m involved with a lot of extracurricular activities at my school- people joke that I’ve never met a club/organization that I didn’t like.
- B: What do you like most about PR?
A: I love that it gives me the chance to promote people and organizations that truly make a difference. Some people do so much good and have so much to offer the world but do not understand the importance of media or how to really take advantage of their opportunities. I like to be that liason and love to see these people/organizations achieve their goals.
- B: How have you immersed yourself in the PR field as an undergraduate student?
A: It was especially tough for me because my university doesn’t offer many classes in PR. It’s a small, private university so while the professors are amazing, they just cannot teach every single class. So, I took it upon myself to immerse myself. I learned a lot from other blogs from aspiring professionals, Twitter chats, and networking on social media. It’s amazing how helpful people can be as resources! After I felt like I had the basics down, I went out into the Winchester, VA community and started doing PR work pro bono for experience. I’m a kinesthetic learner, so doing this was such a good move for me.
I’ve also done about 4 internships already, all regarding social media and PR work for various offices at my school. I don’t even know if these internships existed before I did them, but if you can’t find opportunities, you gotta make them. Am I right?!
- B: What have you learned from your internships that you would not have learned without first hand experience?
A: I’ve learned a lot of skills and lessons that I would have never learned elsewhere or from any books. I’ve learned so much about working with others and how events and projects really are a team effort. I always considered myself as someone who works better alone, but I definitely learned that having an awesome team makes all the difference! Of course, I’ve also learned what anyone else would learn at an internship- responsibility. With projects, deadlines and everything.
The most important thing I’ve learned is: Communication is everything. Such a cliché but SO true. You have to know when and how to speak up.
- B: I noticed that you are the founder of Little Black Dress PR! Please tell me about your blog/company.
A: This was an idea that came out of one of my entrepreneurship classes! We had an assignment to basically plan our own business, which was a no-brainer for me. Since I started studying PR, I’ve always known that I wanted to start my own firm. However, I couldn’t think of a name/brand for the life of me! It wasn’t until one Friday night, when I was going out and didn’t know what to wear when it hit me: What is the go-to, iconic, timeless outfit? A little black dress. That mentality is what I aim to achieve for my clients- in whatever market they are in, I want them to be the iconic, the timeless option. As soon as the words “little black dress” popped in my head, I knew that was it for me.
- B: For the random part of the interview, what song best describes your life right now and why?
A: Oooh, this is tough! I’m gonna go with “Killer Queen” by Queen. Its one of my favorites! It’s so badass. And it kind of sums me up- I’m the nicest person but when it comes time to work, I kind of become a slayer. Plus I was Homecoming Queen at school this year, so that can also be a hidden meaning.
- B: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: I think with PR, experience is everything. However, my secret is that you can spin any experience into being useful for PR. I’m studying business, in a music fraternity and work for the school Phonathon. However I’ve used skills I’ve learned there to help me with my PR work. You just have to work with what you have!
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