{"id":11,"date":"2020-07-10T11:30:07","date_gmt":"2020-07-10T16:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chandraalilijah.com\/index.php\/about-the-chandra-alilijah\/"},"modified":"2025-07-29T10:19:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T14:19:46","slug":"about-the-chandra-alilijah","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chandraalilijah.com\/index.php\/about-the-chandra-alilijah\/","title":{"rendered":"ABOUT"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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\u201cNEVER LOSE THE DESIRE TO CREATE\u201d <\/strong>– Chandra Alilijah <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our blog is a safe haven for fashion lovers, lifestyle gurus, small business owners and unique individuals seeking a space to learn, gain and grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This blog was created to build my writing and portfolio as a journalism student. Over time, it has grown beyond its true potential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is Chandra Alilijah?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Chandra Alilijah – a forever <\/strong>journalist with a passion for fashion, lifestyle, business and creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The creative.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A woman of many talents with one goal: to create<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born and raised in Detroit, always creating. Rather, it was DIY craft projects, learning to sew or writing fan fictions on Wattpad and Miss Literati to even now developing my first business- I am always creating!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My journalism journey began at Renaissance High School in 2015, when I started writing mini-articles about school life, featuring my classmates. I fell in love with the process of journalism. The coming up with story ideas, interviewing, taking pictures and putting it all together at the end. It was like a new art project, just with more structure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That journey expanded to Michigan State University, where I studied journalism with a minor in broadcast and concentration in writing and reporting. I expanded those skills by working for the student-run newspaper The State News for over two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After graduating, I began working at The Detroit Free Press, covering breaking news. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing has always been an important part of my life since elementary school; it’s my hobby, my profession and my thing. I love writing; it’s everything for me. I love all forms of it, whether it’s creative, fiction or news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, my creativity couldn’t just stop at writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I developed a need to unleash my creativity. So, I birthed DiaryofChan<\/a> and 6:23 Detroit Shop<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small Business – 6:23 Detroit Shop<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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6:23 Detroit Shop<\/a> is my stationery and baked goods business that sells notebooks, tote bags, t-shirts, keychains, bookmarks, while also serving delicious goods like cookies, cupcakes and brownies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, I participate in local pop-up markets to showcase my brand and develop its community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This beauty was born with the idea to expand my love for baking, and designing with a brand that\u2019s groovy, unique and new to Detroit that holds my flair and passion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Content Creator Journey- DiaryofChan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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When I am not writing, or being a small business owner- I\u2019m developing digital content through multiple social media channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I created DiaryofChan to start showcasing my love for fashion, creativity and lifestyle bits through interactive media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With my journalism background, I knew how to create captions, shoot and edit videos and connect with brands and businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My social media content expresses my love for fashion through get-ready-with-me style videos, creatively developing campaigns with brands and building community through networking and collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During my journey, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to create content with multiple brands and organizations, like Poppi, Good Molecules, JustFab, OLIPOP<\/a>, Michigan Fashion Week, Indie Fashion<\/a> and The ReVamp Detroit<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Professional Work – Journalist and Social Media<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

City of Detroit – Digital Media Specialist: Aug. – Dec. 2024<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Content creator meets the city government’s social media channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During my time at the City of Detroit, I developed trendy, intriguing content that covered Detroit’s mayor, policies, events, sports teams and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I helped develop a TikTok page from scratch by campaign planning, brainstorming creative ideas, content creation and analyzing performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out some of my work below:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n