Alumni Spotlight: Saniha Aziz
Journalism alum Saniha Aziz (B.A. '19) shares how the hands-on, experiential learning in her program gave her the tools to succeed in the professional world.
Saniha Aziz (B.A. ’19) is this week’s featured alum in our new Alumni Spotlight series for the This Week at Meadows e-newsletter. Each week, a different Meadows alum will be highlighted for their accomplishments post-graduation.
With countless courses across 12 areas of study available to students enrolled at Meadows, the potential knowledge one can glean from their education is seemingly endless. Once a student, like journalism alum Saniha Aziz, has narrowed down their focus, each class taken is another weapon in their arsenal that they will carry with them throughout their Meadows experience and into the workforce.
From leading a team and learning to operate under changing circumstances to thinking creatively and analytically simultaneously, the skills Aziz picked up throughout her education have proven to be highly beneficial for her career.
“Journalism skills are not only extremely transferrable to other jobs, but they are heavily in demand,” explains Aziz, who was also the Creative Director of SMU Look during her time at Meadows. “There isn’t a single employer out there who isn’t looking for an effective communicator or someone who can synthesize complex information into a digestible output.”
Aziz leveraged all the skills in her toolkit to land her position as the Communications Advisor for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. In this role, she works with all communications teams at Dallas Fed to ensure cohesion in their work and that the messages put out to the public are aligned across all platforms in order to maintain a consistent and reliable experience for anyone interacting with the organization. The in-depth scope of Aziz’s work is vital to the American public’s confidence and trust in the central bank, and her approach to effectively communicating those values has been aided by her active involvement in various communications classes taken while at SMU.
“My experience at Meadows was almost entirely hands-on, which means I truly experienced a version of what it is like to be a real journalist in the classroom,” says Aziz. “The experiential learning was critical to my growth and propelled me into the professional world with ease.”
As with Aziz’s position with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, oftentimes the right job isn’t always the most obvious option when entering the workforce. Rather than take the expected route, like majoring in journalism to then become a journalist, Aziz encourages current students to explore non-traditional career paths by seeking a job based on work that excites them in an organization that aligns with their values.
“If you approach your job search instead with skills you have and work that excites you, you may end up somewhere entirely different than you expected, and love it!”