Augustana understands the value and impact that historically marginalized people have on communities all over the world — recognizing that this university would not be the place it is without these students, faculty and staff. In the "At AU" series, the university aims to showcase these exceptional people so we can all hear their voices in an effort to foster positivity and create awareness of their experiences on campus.
For the month of March — Womxn’s History Month — Augustana is featuring Makayla Mallet ‘24, a communication studies/business major with a minor in entrepreneurship from Accra, Ghana. Mallet is an affinity senator for the Augustana Student Association (ASA) and president of the African Student Union (ASU), who one day hopes to build her own advertising agency and marketing firm.
Q: Where or how did you hear about Augustana?
A: From family. I had older cousins and a sister (Marcia Mallet ‘17) who attended Augustana about five years before me.
Q: What are your career goals/aspirations?
A: Build my own advertising agency and marketing firm from the ground up with all the knowledge I have gained from work experience in marketing firms at Fortune 500 companies.
Another aspiration is to be able to create and produce at least five Super Bowl ads in my lifetime.
Q: Which languages do you speak?
A: English is my first language, but I understand some local languages from home: Twi and Fante.
Q: What is it like for you to be a woman at AU?
A: Being a woman at Augustana is interesting. I have battled insecurities for a long time, but since coming to Augustana, my confidence in my body and personality has grown way more than I expected. People here are nice and confident, and will compliment everything they see on you if they could. But, being a Black/African woman at Augie has helped me gain confidence in my ethnicity and in my own skin. I have learned to appreciate where I am from and will always parade it whatever chance I get.
Q: Are there any women in particular at AU or elsewhere who inspire you?
A: This might be cliche, but my mother is the most inspiring woman to me. Honestly, no one else can take that top spot on my list. My mother, Mrs. Martha Mallet, has been working hard since her teen years. She has had so much work experience and can do anything with all the knowledge she has gained. Even after working for many years, she continues to widen her resume with more educational opportunities, including recently graduating and acquiring her second master’s degree in business consulting, after starting her new business consultation company. On top of being the perfect, hardworking, intelligent mother and wife she is, my mother is now a CEO.
To learn more about the "At AU Series," visit augie.edu/AtAU.