Life and Work with Aiyana Ishmael

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aiyana Ishmael.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in South Carolina, but I’ve lived in Miami basically my entire life. From a young age, I’ve always been a writer. I remember spending my days just creating stories. If I wasn’t reading or writing, I was standing in front of a camera pretending to be a meteorologist, the best if I may add. High school, I attended Coral Reef senior high and was in the theater magnet program. I chose this because it was another outlet to tell stories. As I got older, I realized that the career I loved was called journalism.

At the end of high school, I had a rough time. I got into, what I thought at the time, was my dream school. Hofstra University, in Long Island, New York. They offered me money by not nearly the amount I would need to survive. My parents told me they weren’t going to help me financially with college and I had put all my eggs in one basket in regards to universities. I ultimately ended up going to Miami Dade Community College. At first, this felt like the absolute worst thing that could have happened to me. It ended up being the best thing for me. I joined the student-ran newspaper, The Reporter and began as a sports writer. I really learned how to be a journalist and truly owe everything to that newspaper. I was able to leave Miami Dade College confident in who I could be as a journalist. I then transferred to Florida A&M University to continue my journalism career. I came into FAMU as the Managing Editor for the award-winning student lifestyle magazine, Journey. As soon as I started, I fell in love with my career choice. I’d grown up reading magazines, hoarding them honestly. And to now be able to be second in command for one was so exciting. I will be taking over as Editor-in-Chief for Journey in the upcoming school year. I’ve learned so much in such a short amount of time and I’ve accomplished more than I could ever imagine. And the best part is I still have so far to go. I think the greatest part is looking back at who I was a senior year of high school. I was worried about who I was going to be because I wasn’t going to Hofstra anymore. If only she’d known that the path she was going to take would be so much better.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth ride at all! As I mentioned earlier, not going to my “dream” school at first really crushed me. I spent my first semester at MDC really depressed. I thought I was being left behind because all my friends were already at universities. After a few months of sulking, I realized I can either let this define me or I can choose to define myself. So, I went and found The Reporter and began learning. My biggest obstacle once joining The Reporter was learning how to write an article. The only writing I constantly did was narrative. I either wrote stories, essays, or monologues. I remember the first time I turned in a feature article the Editor-in-Chief at the time yelled at me and made me go back and interview the person again and basically told me it was all wrong. It sucked not being the best, but at the time it was exactly what I needed. Not being the best writer only pushed me to work harder. I spent my time reading articles all day every day. Learning what my style was and trying to know my AP Stylebook better than I know myself. I learned that you have constantly push yourself to be better.

Once I stopped settling, everything changed. Another struggle I faced once at FAMU was not seeing how great I am. Okay, I know that sounds like arrogant, but not in that way. For so long, I doubted my abilities. You’re your biggest critic, but honestly, I feel like I have four of me criticizing me. I’m extremely hard on myself and never give myself enough credit. It took other people telling me that I was really talented that I finally started to give myself a break. So now, I make it a habit to remind myself that although I’m not where I want to be yet, I still am great. I’ve worked hard and sometimes you need to remind yourself of that. My only advice to young girls getting started is to START. No matter what you want to do, whether you think you’re too young or not good enough yet, it does not matter. Just start. The sooner you begin, the faster you’ll improve. And soon enough, you’ll be halfway there.

Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
So currently, I’m the upcoming Editor-in-Chief for Journey magazine. This past year, I served as the Managing Editor for Journey. In this role, I got to be a creative director for our fashion and cover shoots. I helped edit stories for our print and digital issues, while also writing stories on the side. I also would oversee each department and help them along the way. I’d like to say what I specialize in is storytelling. Whether it’s good or bad, I love telling people’s stories. This past year, I wrote a piece about a FAMU student who struggled with her apartment complex and it felt good to get the truth out there. I also wrote a piece about Andrew Guillum’s loss against Ron De Santis. I interviewed a woman who lived in Tallahassee Florida all her life and how she felt about the election. At the end of the interview, she thanked me for taking the time to tell her story. It was so amazing because I was thankful. As a journalist, you’re always struggling to get the quote or the story, but then to have someone thank you it’s so rewarding. All I want to do is get the truth out there and little things like that remind me why I do this. I think what sets me apart from other people is my passion. There might be someone that’s a better writer, or a better speaker, but they don’t have my passion for a career. They may have stronger skills at the moment but they don’t have my work ethic nor do they have my heart.

Who have you been inspired by?
This is a hard question because I get inspired daily by different women all the time. But, first and foremost would be my mother. She is the strongest woman I’ve ever met and her perseverance is so heartwarming. I literally owe her the world because she never let me go without. She’s taught me everything and she’s a total badass!! I tell this story all the time to my friends so why not tell you all. My mother got pregnant with my older sister when she was in high school. The stigmas against teen moms are always negative, but my mom and grandma didn’t let those stereotypes define her. My mother ended up getting a full ride scholarship to play volleyball in college and went on to graduate and get two masters after that! Can we say yes queen! Career-wise Lindsay Peoples Wagner has really been my biggest inspiration. She’s really gone so far so quickly and she’s kind of who I model myself after. I plan to be Editor-in-Chief of a fashion magazine one day and she lets me know that it’s possible. Her being the youngest EIC and the second Black EIC for Condé Nast is amazing. Seeing yourself in your career field is so important and she gives me hope.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: Instagram.com/aiyanaish/
• Twitter: Twitter.com/aiyanaish/

Image Credit:
Geordon Wollner for the personality cover pic, the rest were taken by colleagues or FAMU school of Journalism and Graphic Communication

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