Rising Stars: Meet Aliya Kisivo of Kansas City, Kansas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aliya Kisivo

Hi Aliya, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started making social media content during summer of 2024. My goal was to shed a positive light on women’s basketball while educating all the new fans with WNBA knowledge. My accounts grew very quickly and I started to cover all women’s sports and also men’s sports.
I am still a student at the University of Kansas, but I currently do social media and content creation full-time. Ultimately, my goal is to bring new fans to the world sports and highlight women’s sports.
I’ve since been named on of the creators a part of Unrivaled’s creators program– which gave me more opportunities to talk about my passion, women’s basketball. I was also a social media intern at WSLAM, where I learned more about how to run a successful social media account.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I feel very lucky to have not run into any obstacles in this industry. I believe that is due to the amazing support system I have, mentors, family and friends within the sport’s world. If anything, the short Tik Tok ban at the beginning of this year was the toughest period for me because Tik Tok makes up a large percentage of my audience. The ban forced me to be more active on my other social platforms which ultimately helped me.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Mostly, I am a storyteller. Whether its a storyline in sports, an athlete’s story or sports drama explained, I tell the lesser-known stories that are happening in sports. I specialize in women’s basketball but I have talked about almost every women and men’s sports.
I am most proud of the community I’ve built. I rarely receive negative engagement when I talk about women’s sports and I am surrounded by a community of people who love and respect women’s sports as much as I do.
What sets me apart is my ability to explain sports in a very simple and engaging way that even people who don’t watch sports at all can understand and be interested in.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I’ve found so many mentors in the sports industry by being confident and reaching out to inspiring women that I look up to. My advice would be to find those people that you are inspired by and reach out to them. For example if you are at the same event, go up to them and introduce yourself. I’ve found that most people want to help and are there for you.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliyakaetalks?igsh=ZnpyZ29oOHFrMzFm&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aliyakaetalks
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@aliyaakae?_t=ZT-8uox4n5c9pi&_r=1