MEET Rehana Paul, an incoming college freshman who will be attending American University in the fall. As editor-in-chief of Overachiever Magazine, she and her team have created a truly diverse platform that produces quality content. They continue to inspire and influence the rapidly growing world around them.
As a teenage girl, she has always felt like ever no one took her seriously. Tired of the condescension in Asian society. Tired of everything being dismissed as teenage angst. Tired of waiting to get a degree just to be listened to. For her, being a part of a culture that was anything but encouraging and supportive of young women of color was pretty nerve-wracking ― nausea-inducing too ― to have to put yourself or something you have created out there. “Advocating for yourself is a must-do, whether in a physical or digital space, and I think Asian culture, in particular, teaches young women to put themselves down, that advocating for yourself is like bragging.” As a result, Rehana took matters into her own hands and created her own space for all the Asian girls who had something to say and no one to say it to. Taking part in Overachiever Magazine has given her the chance to contribute to the community. Keeping their mission statement at the core, the team gives a voice to all Asian women. “Everything we do, from social media and outreach campaigns to partnerships, [all have that] central goal of increasing representation of and providing a platform for Asian women.”
Though Rehana has had to learn how to balance Overachiever Magazine with the rest of her life, her team is always there to support her. With the help of other team members, she is able to put out issues twice a month, schedule and attend meetings, and plan countless campaigns, fundraisers, and partnerships with others. Being editor-in-chief of such an influential organization has helped her mature in ways she never could have imagined. Being a planner by nature, she has always kept her life organized. Before going to bed, there is a coffee cup, laptop, and scented candle in place for the next morning. She has a spreadsheet for her Starbucks orders. When she was nine, she made a Google Slides deck for her parents in an attempt to persuade them to buy her a pony. It did not work, and she blamed it on the sloppy formatting and lack of visual effects. “So it only makes sense that I have seven Airtable boards, four Slack channels, two Trello boards, and a partridge in a pear tree to help me keep track of Overachiever,” Rehana says, “and a secretary to keep track of me!” She feels at home there and is incredibly proud of the work the entire team has produced. “Whether you’re from Kazakhstan, Bahrain, or Japan, I want every Asian girl to feel welcome at Overachiever Magazine,” and she has no plans on stopping.
Her final advice to students looking to start their own platform: “There has to be a reason for doing it beyond a line on your resume. If all you care about is having the ‘founder’ title on your LinkedIn page, start a lemonade stand. Don’t get into activism for clout, and definitely do not do it for profit. If there’s a cause you believe in, and you think you can impact change, go for it!”