07 Jun Get to Know Project Manager Aeliya Ahmed
Meet Aeliya Ahmed Fluent’s new project manager! With over six years of experience in the non-profit, education, and healthcare sectors, Aeliya excels at streamlining processes and promoting informed decision-making. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, her journey includes supporting families at a crisis nursery and even teaching in NYC Public Schools through Americorps! We sat down with her to learn more about her background, approach to project management, and what excites her about her new role at Fluent.
1. Tell us a little about your background. What did you want to be when you were younger and what motivated you to pursue a career in project management?
When I was younger, I wanted to be an artist. I didn’t know what project management was until after I graduated college, and once I realized how detail-oriented the role could be, I decided it was the right fit! The perfectionism and attention to nitty-gritty details that project management involves feels like a close enough fit to an artist.
2. How do your experiences in the non-profit, education, and healthcare industries inform your approach to project management?
Having worked with so many different people across different industries has certainly made me a better project manager. I’ve worked with energetic five-year-olds in classrooms, stressed attending surgeons in the ER, worried parents at community centers, and busy tech clients with crunched timelines. All of these experiences have made me comfortable working with and talking to anyone. Project management involves a lot of cross-functional collaboration, so that’s a skill I’ve been able to develop having worked in these different roles.
3. With your diverse background, what advice do you have for individuals looking to pursue a career in project management, especially those interested in working with children or in research?
The best advice I have is to try as many different paths as you can. Working in the education, healthcare, and non-profit spaces has helped me realize what I didn’t enjoy working on — which is just as important as realizing what you do enjoy. If you have varying interests, I would say to test as many of them out as you can, and you’ll rack up immeasurable experiences along the way. Project management involves a lot of organizing and streamlining processes — having varied experiences can help you approach finding ways to improve those processes with a new lens!
4. What’s your go-to hobby or activity outside of work that brings you joy?
I’m a serial hobby collector. This year, I’m getting back into figure skating. Last year’s focus was on learning how to surf, and next year’s goal is to learn kung fu!
5. What are you most excited about in your new role at Fluent Research?
I am super grateful to be working with such an awesome team. I’ve gotten to learn so much from my teammates in a short amount of time. I’m looking forward to streamlining some more of our processes, and ensuring that every project is a smooth operation.
Connect with Aeliya on LinkedIn!