Where Are They Now? Aaliyah Randle, Class of 2019

By: Sarabeth Weszely Thorson, Writer
May 10, 2023

Category: Alumni | career | college

Aaliyah Randle is a 2019 graduate of Inwood Academy and will graduate from Stony Brook University (her first choice school!) with a bachelor’s in marketing this spring. She had her first marketing internship with Wandering Bear last summer and is now interning with our College & Career Success team. As part of her marketing work for IAL, Aaliyah manages the Instagram account @inwood_collegeandcareer, which will be engaging IAL students in a variety of ways as we countdown to #CollegeDecisionDay on May 1.

What led you to choose a career in marketing? 

“I didn’t always know I’d want to go into marketing, but I’ve really fallen in love with it. I love being creative in my work and not being limited in how I can accomplish a given task. One thing that I didn’t expect to like as much as I do is the research behind marketing. No matter what company or campaign it is, you have to know what demographics you’re marketing to, and how to market to them, and I really like doing that work.”

Why did you choose to intern with IAL?

“I recently started applying and interviewing for full-time jobs, and I think this internship will help me in that process a lot. In marketing, your degree matters, but the hands-on skills matter even more. Companies are really looking for people with experience, so hopefully I have a lot of opportunities open up from this internship. I’m also passionate about education and want to use my creativity to have an impact on the next generation.”

 

How does it feel to be applying for full-time jobs for the first time?

“Overall, I feel well-prepared going into the job interview process. I’ve done a lot of practice interviews at my school, and I’ve also interviewed with marketing jobs in the past. I didn’t get the jobs, but I did learn what they’re looking for and how to adjust my responses to the role and company. So I’m not too nervous about interviews at this point; I’ve built my confidence up.”

 

What was your college experience like? 

“I’m finishing my degree online now, but I was on campus for the whole time otherwise and I loved it. I’d recommend for all students to go away for college and experience dorm life. It opens your mind up to so much, in every way you can think of. Especially going to a bigger campus where people come from different places and cultures, you learn how to be open minded, and that’s so important. Developing this kind of open-mindedness and curiosity about other people is actually what’s made me so interested in market research.”

 

What advice do you have for students preparing for college now?

“Be aware of the resources that are available to you. A lot of people don’t know about the EOP Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) that all SUNY and a lot of CUNY schools provide. The EOP helps with tuition and books for students who are in the same predicament that many of us at Inwood are in, where we have a low income household with a lot of people in it. I’m so grateful that Inwood Academy told me about the EOP when I was applying to schools, because it opened up a lot of options for me that I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. I hope I can help spread important information like this through Instagram and other parts of my internship.”

Check out Aaliyah’s great work by following @inwood_collegeandcareer on Instagram!