We recently connected with Afreen Anjum Khan and have shared our conversation below.
Afreen Anjum, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I appreciate this question. My resilience comes from my parents, especially my mother. I was raised in a traditional Muslim home where expectations for girls could be narrow in the Modern world. My mother steadily pushed past those limits, and my father stood by her side. She insisted that we be well-educated, self-reliant, and able to lead our own lives while contributing to our community. Watching their partnership taught me to trust my voice, stay patient under pressure, and keep going without bitterness. When I face obstacles, I return to their example: stay composed, do the work, and move forward with grace.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Thank you for the opportunity. I’m Afreen—originally from Mumbai and now based in Brooklyn, NYC. I’m an architect from India with a master’s in Urban Design from Pratt Institute, and I work as an architectural lighting designer. My practice lives where architecture, design, and engineering meet; I enjoy turning ideas into spaces that are beautiful, efficient, and buildable. As I grow, I believe talent should create opportunity, and I hope to be known for using mine to open doors for projects, teams, and communities.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Adaptability: One of my strengths is that I can listen to people and adjust myself according to their wavelength and frequency. If both are in sync, you have a harmonious wave, which can achieve what you have wished, and everything works in synchronization. With friends, colleagues, or family members, sometimes we easily click, and other times we may take a little longer to understand. In those moments, I try to listen, adapt, and get back on the right frequency with them so we can move forward together.
Another quality of mine is to be diligent. I would not move forward with a design or a solution unless I’ve deeply researched about it. By looking at multiple factors & variations from the past of the problem or solution, understanding the present context, and visualizing what it could mean for the future, and especially to serve humankind. This process helps me put things together carefully and present them with responsibility.
And the very last is to create. Something which has never been done, something unique to learning and evolving with the contemporary needs. Something which proves that we need humans who think and are still required to work with better responsibility than AI.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I feel my mentors, my managers, and my parents. All three are GURU’s for life and quite essential when you kickstart your career. While your friends & colleagues will train and test you with morals and ethics. Simply being patient and working along their rhythm slowly and steadily will help you evolve into a great person by building trust.
With the right perseverance and integrity, you gain respect for the person you have become by always working on your flaws and giving second chances.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: khan_aafreeen
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/afreen-anjum-khan
Image Credits
Afreen Anjum Khan
