COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Ayesha makes time to donate her producing abilities for pro bono film projects, such as a world peace message music video for a local Virginia troupe of the Girl Scouts of the USA. She has had the opportunity to contribute as a panelist on the Pulitzer Center Journalists Panel: "The Way We Tell Stories," has taught a “Storytelling and your Perspective” workshop at the William and Mary Global Film Fest, has guest lectured about the importance of the press at Washington, D.C. and Virginia schools, and has presented as keynote speaker at the Women’s Foundation of Pakistan HerPower reception.
Ayesha has also volunteered in a mission to organize the largest relief effort at the time in North America for Pakistan’s 2005 7.6 magnitude earthquake. The project collected emergency rescue supplies and shipped them to the remote areas of Pakistan. This project has now branched into one of the largest humanitarian efforts for Pakistan, led by American humanitarian Todd Shea. Ayesha continues to support Todd's work. Click here for the Comprehensive Disaster Response Services website.
She also volunteered for three years at Stonewall Jackson High School (Manassas, VA) as a runway trainer and mentor to students for their annual “International Fair” event. Each year, she assisted on event day as backstage manager.
Ayesha is an animal lover. She has fostered dogs, ferrets, birds, and nine abandoned, sick kittens she nursed back to health.
Beauty is a passion of Ayesha's. She taught makeup artistry for 12 years and, coupled with her love for writing, has served as a beauty columnist for publications such as Sapna Magazine and DivaNee Magazine.
Though she has hung up her tiara in the competition sense, Ayesha credits beauty pageants with having played an important role in her finding her career path, overcoming her professional weaknesses, and having provided her with a platform to bring awareness to causes important to her. She has continued to stay involved in pageants as a judge, coach and mentor in order to help other women take advantage of the same benefits of pageants she says helped her. She has worked as both a contracted professional and a volunteer with individuals and reputed pageant organizations including Miss District of Columbia, Miss America, Miss India USA, Miss World America and Miss Earth United States.
Ayesha has also helped organize community events ranging from 100 to 16,000 attendees, such as cultural festivals, charity events and fashion shows.
“What we can do is to live out our lives as best we can with purpose, and love, and joy. We can use each day to show those who are closest to us how much we care about them, and treat others with the kindness and respect that we wish for ourselves. We can learn from our mistakes and grow from our failures. And we can strive at all costs to make a better world.”
President Barack Obama