My name is Aqueelah (pronounced uh-KEE-luh). Nice to meet you! I am from, and currently live in, Chicago, IL. I also lived in New York City for about 5 years; I came back to Chicago two and a half months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Incidentally, the last area in which I lived in NYC was in Corona, Queens. Make of that what you will.

I am a proud DePaul University grad (don't ask me when I graduated; just know I'm old), an avid Sims 4 player; a voracious reader; a pretty darn good baker; a chef's wife; dog mom to an adorable American Bulldog affectionately named Petey Muscles; a Star Wars superfan; and a Harry Potter nerd (House: Ravenclaw; Patronus: Wolf; Wand: Redwood, phoenix core, 11", with hard flexibility. Told you I was a nerd!). My current obsession, however, is Bridgerton (#teamPolin). I will probably write a lot about the series, here. Let's see how motivated I am.

The majority of my career has been in higher education. I was an academic advisor at several colleges for over a decade, as well as having roles in academic administration and operations. Currently, I am a data analyst, graduate student (three more classes and DONE!), and unpublished writer. Hopefully that last bit will change soon now that I'm finally brave enough to put my words out into the ether. I hope you'll read.