About Me

Hi! My name is Ayah Alsheikha, a senior at Pleasant Valley High School. I discovered my love of journalism in my sophomore year of high school and have only grown more passionate about writing, reporting and designing since. 

When I joined Publications in 10th grade, I took up the role of Arts and Entertainment Editor, in which I could dip my toes into the worlds of designing, editing and reporting—I was enthralled. 

At the end of that year, I was anointed the role of co-Editor-in-Chief, the first junior in the Spartan Shield's 60-year history to fill the role.  I was honored to serve the print Spartan Shield, and spent the following year not only honing my abilities in designing and editing but leadership and team-building. 

Now, in my senior year, I alone serve as the Editor-in-Chief of the print Spartan Shield and take pride in the stylistic development and quality of the Spartan Shield over the past two years. 

Accolades and Activities

  • All-State Emerging Journalist 2023
  • Editor-in-Chief of IHSPA 2023 News Team of the Year
  • Best of Student News Organization (SNO) 2023
  • National Merit Scholar Semifinalist 2025 (pending finalist)
  • Syndicated work in Watch Us Rise online magazine 
  • Syndicated work in Teen Ink online magazine 
  • Worked as assistant News Editor and regular contributor at Greenzine
  • Founder of Green Minds, an online news and media publication centered on environmentally-focused content
  • IHSPA Summer Journalism Program Renaissance Spirit Award 2023 
  • ​​Editor-in-Chief of Mayoral Proclamation recipient The Spartan Shield 
  • IHSPA Spring Contest 2023 Honorable Mention for Class B social justice reporting for "Sexism's Role in Religion"
  • IHSPA Spring Contest 2023 Honorable Mention for Class B staff editorial for "Children in Media: Where is the Line Drawn?"
  • IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 Third Place for Class B video story for "PV Celebrates 50 Years of Girls Basketball"
  • IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 First Place for Class B single web story design "Shifting Tides"
  • IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 First Place for Class B infographic "50 Years of Hip Hop"
  • IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 Honorable Mention for Class B health/science story "First-world country, third-world water: The urgent crisis of America’s dilapidated water systems"
  • IHSPA All-Iowa Designer of the Year 2025
  • IHSPA Spring Contest 2025 First Place for Class B Multi-page Reporting on "Healthcare in Crisis"
  • IHSPA Spring Contest 2025 Third Place for Class B Advocacy article "How to make a School Shooter"
  • AP Scholar with Distinction
  • 4.685 GPA

Personal Narrative 

"You're not wearing that right," sneered my Sunday School teacher, her eyes pointing to the cotton hijab haphazardly wrapped around my loose bun. What's immodest about my hair? I thought, reflecting on her terse words as she dropped the bundled fabric on my desk moments earlier.

It was then that I stood, meeting her indignant gaze, and discarded the hijab into the lost-and-found bin. 

You see, I am a born contrarian. Perhaps it's the nature of my identity, a foregone conclusion that a culturally-mixed Muslim in Iowa was bound to stand out. Or maybe it's a byproduct of being raised by a woman who lives by a principle of defiance to a fault.   

Regardless, opposition is a shield I've wielded against the conscious urge to conform—because I live in three worlds, to none of which I fully belong.

The first is a world laced with the rich scent of Oud and Bakhoor incense and the sound of the digital Adhan prayer call blaring from my father's phone. This world belongs to him and me, an Islamic sanctum contained within the walls of our home. 
The second is a world marked by manure-streaked fields and 4-H cattle showing, abnormal anywhere but the comfortable Midwest. This world starts at my front door. 

The last is a world I inherited from my mother—one that transcends tangibility, where individuality is not merely accepted but fiercely safeguarded. This world exists wherever I am.

And each story that has shaped these worlds is a thread in my identity, each memory or conviction woven into a fabric that is uniquely mine. 

My fabric is a cotton prayer set, a hand-embroidered heirloom from my Tété. Early summer mornings, my father would gently wake me, and in a sleepless daze, we would assemble a feast of fragrant mint tea and muhammara eggs before Fajr prayers.

Ramadan in the summer was grueling: the long days and sweltering heat made the hunger and thirst nearly intolerable. But those mornings, pulling the cotton set over my pajamas and praying toward Makkah before the pale light of dawn, I felt peace with my identity. There, I was neither ‘too white’ nor ‘too Syrian’—in the sanctity of my home, I am just me.  

My fabric is a thrifted flannel shirt, a blue-checked garment purchased after committing to shop secondhand. My passion for environmental activism was ignited in elementary school—a former schoolhouse hemmed in on all sides by cornfields—where one offhand lecture on climate change altered the trajectory of my life’s calling. 

Suddenly I was a fifth-grade Greta Thunberg protegé, collecting plastic straws from restaurants and heading guerrilla poster campaigns, even sorting through the recycling during recess. 

Now, I've worked with one of the greatest environmental minds in America, Robert Watson, and connected with young environmentalists beyond Iowa’s flat horizons through my online publication, Green Minds. And so the flannel is a symbol of the thread I stitched on my own—fighting for a cause, even if it seems like I'm alone in doing so.

And my fabric is a white hijab, perhaps still in that lost-and-found bin, that revealed exactly what they all feared was hidden beneath my olive-skinned, Arabic-speaking exterior: I was my mother's daughter—I was white. 

I've taken after her in more ways than I can count: my nose, my eyes, my gallows humor—but more than anything, my mother taught me to never surrender my sense of self for someone else's comfort. The memory of the hijab hangs in my mind, a constant reminder of her defiance—and my own.

So I am a product of three worlds, yielding an identity that has never lent itself to fitting in, nor totality in general. But I’ve learned that standing out isn’t a weakness; it’s my strength. I’ve never been afraid to challenge norms, to push boundaries, to stand up for what I believe in—even when it means making others uncomfortable. 

So these worlds, though distinct and often at odds, have taught me the power of embracing my individuality and the importance of staying true to myself. It’s this defiance, this commitment to authenticity, that shapes not only who I am but how I approach everything I do.

In journalism, this belief has translated into a commitment to truth, no matter how difficult it may be to hear or report. I’ve never shied away from asking the hard questions, from seeking out the voices that are often silenced, or from publishing stories that challenge the status quo. 

Journalism, like identity, thrives on defiance—it’s about refusing to conform to what others want you to say or what’s comfortable, and instead reporting what’s real and what matters. In my work as a journalist, I’ve learned to embrace the discomfort that comes with standing up for truth.

​Whether it’s writing about sensitive issues or confronting backlash on controversial topics, I approach every story with the same mindset: to speak up, stand out, and shed light on the narratives that need to be told. 
​
My time as a journalist has reinforced that it’s not just about writing the story; it’s about owning it—owning the responsibility that comes with having a voice and using it for something bigger than myself.

Recommendations 

Staff
"Ever since I have met Ayah, she has been the most hard working, diligent and thorough journalist. Ayah always makes time to improve The Spartan Shield, whether it be through her working on her own writing or helping others. Ayah is a true example of journalistic integrity and inspires the rest of her staff on a daily basis. Ayah is truly unique in her ability to research, write and reach the broad viewership she has gained. Her swift and sincere journalistic abilities have been showcased again and again, especially since taking on the role of Editor-in-Chief alone. Ayah's commitment to journalism surpasses any other student I have met."
Prerna Vanga, online Editor-in-Chief

"Ayah is an amazing journalist, and she is an even better leader and friend! She is supportive and fosters a positive environment for all of our school’s journalists and really works to encourage student voices to be heard​."
Priya Suresh, Arts & Entertainment Editor 

​"During my time writing for The Spartan Shield, Ayah was an amazing editor, leader and friend to her staff. She created such a dynamic and dedicated environment, and it was clear to us all how passionate she was for journalism. Her guidance and encouragement brought out the best in every staff member, inspiring us to produce high-quality work we were proud of. Ayah's unwavering support made a lasting impact, and her passion for storytelling was truly contagious. She inspired me to continue journalism, and now I write for the Daily Iowan at the University of Iowa, pursuing a passion she introduced me to." 
Muskan Mehta, former Social Media Manager

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