All About Aja Pilar Simpson

September 10, 2018

Early Years

Aja smiling with teeth at age 4

Aja was born in 1997 on July 4th in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her name is pronounced like the continent of Asia, and the spelling was inspired by the Steely Dan album of the same name. Her dad was a huge jazz fan so he picked the name, and in turn her mother got to pick out her middle name, Pilar, from a small town in New Mexico.

She came into the world to a 2-year-old sister who would turn 3 in just two days time, but this was the first (and last) time her mother and father would ever have a child together. She had a complicated family history, something she didn't find out about until later in life, and eventually had to learn how to explain the connections between one side and the other.

The most complex part about her were her two half sisters, one on her mothers side, Olivia, and one on her fathers side, Stephanie, both of which are older than her.

Anyway, once Aja turned 1, her mother and father weren't in the best of terms, so when her mother had to leave for Southern California to continue her travelling nurse duties, her father stayed in Albuquerque. She continued to see him about once a year, but never had the emotional backing of a paternal figure to grow up with.


Later Years

Ben and Aja at UCLA

Aja dealt with this feeling (or lack thereof) her whole life, well aware of the difference between her family and the family of her friends with two biological parents that still loved eachother. However, once it was time for her to go to college and move out of her childhood home in San Diego, she decided to move back to Albuquerque and live with her father while attending the University of New Mexico (UNM) to finally get a sense of life with a dad.

She majored in Journalism and minored in Film Studies during her time at UNM, and met a boy named Ben along the way.

After a long two years of love, her fathers passing, and late nights spent preparing to transfer to New York, her and Ben remained together and began their journey of a long-distance relationship. Ben is a year older than her, so he spent his Senior year finishing up at UNM and she spent her Junior year starting at The New School.

Now, as Aja enters her final 2 semesters as an undergrad, she is still pursuing Journalism and is currently volunteering at WNSR, The New School Radio, to get more experience in audio production and story-telling. She and Ben are living together again in a cute apartment in Cobble Hill as he works on a Masters Degree at NYU.


Interests (Past & Present):