We recently connected with Aroj Ahmad and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Aroj thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Becoming an influencer kind of just happened to me. I’m so grateful for the journey, it’s been an independent one. I’ve never had any social media manager of any kind or a team to help me. It goes to show all you really need is an iPhone and being authentic to gain a following. People love you the most when you’re just you.

Aroj, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

At the moment I’m primarily focused on being a Master of Public Health and being an influencer is a passion that I do on the side. Over covid my sister insisted that I create a tikTok, I was so resistant because I thought I was too mature (I was 23). We both grew a following from posting vlogs/grwm/dances/trends. I think what sets my content apart from other creators would be that I post consistently, I post videos I feel passionate about, and I have fun with it rather than think of it as just another job. I’m so proud of some of the collaborations I’ve received and the opportunities influencing has opened up for me.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I used to think people don’t change. A leopard never changes its spots, right? I know now people can change because I have changed. Do I think change is easy or common among us? No, but it is possible.

Have you ever had to pivot?

My professional career is in medicine and I used to work as a registered medical assistant. A huge change in my life has been going back to graduate school because it dawned on me that clinical care is not for me. Sometimes I struggle with being 28 years old and still in school, especially in New York where I have such young and successful friends. However, going back to school has changed my life, it’s opened my eyes, and if within scope higher education is the one thing I’d recommend to everyone. Pivoting in my professional career has been different from influencing in that my content has stayed the same–consistent, raw, and authentic because I’m here to connect.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tiktok.com/@alilrooj?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/alilrooj