A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT ME

I have more than 20 years of experience as a local news and trade journalist as well as an editor. In addition, I have taught writing composition, literary analysis, and other areas of qualitative analysis to students ranging from high school, adults learning a second language, and college students.

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I have written extensively about trends in lighting and accessories and have interviewed industry leaders/designers such as Yves Behar, Nadja Swarovski, and Torde Boontje as an associate editor at  Home Lighting & Accessories magazine where I served under the guidance of Linda Longo, now founder and editorial director of enLIGHTENment Magazine. I have also freelanced for Interior Design magazine's online news section Designwire Daily.  

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Before I indulged in writing about lighting and design, I cut my teeth in online news publishing when I was associate news producer at NJ.com under Dean Betz and before this, the sole newspaper reporter for The West Orange Chronicle under Anthony Puglisi.

 

I am currently a corporate communications manager.

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For just under a decade I was an educator at Arts High School in Newark and served as a 2014 summer instructor at Seton Hall Law School's NJ Law Education and Empowerment Program (2014 winner of the Excellence in Summer Learning Award). During my tenure as an English teacher I was awarded a 2008  Geraldine R. Dodge Fellowship and observed the effects of creative writing in rural destinations during a visit to the historic Puna district in Pahoa, Hawaii at the Kalani Oceanside Retreat. 

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I have conducted journaling workshops for women at several New Jersey institutions, including the Linda and Rudy Slucker NCJW Center for women. In addition, I have facilitated journaling workshops for the bereaved in conjunction with Atlantic Hospice as a component of grief counseling.  

 

I decided to expand the I'm Speaking Now podcast as a resource through offering communications services so that your messaging and communication is crystal clear. 

 

I hold an M.A. in English, with a concentration in Women and Gender Studies from Rutgers University in Newark. My undergraduate studies were completed at Morgan State University, an HBCU and National Treasure in Baltimore, Maryland.

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A proud Jersey Girl, I can be reached at ayesha@ayeshajgallion.com and if you wish -- follow me on Instagram at @gallionista (my personal page); or @iamspeakingnow.