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“Me: what if I don’t have what it takes? God: you don’t have to, because I do.” This is the quote Aliyah C. Tipton sees every time she opens her phone. Tipton said her educational and career journeys from Michigan to Mississippi to Ohio have been heavily influenced by God.  

Tipton has gone from student to employee to founder and owner of her own communication agency in just a few years.  

Currently, Tipton serves as assistant director, communications in the Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement at ����ֱ�� State University. She also just founded her own boutique pubic relations agency and consultancy, Reigning Diva Agency LLC. But she never claims she got here alone.

Tipton, originally from Flint, Michigan, started her journey in 2013 at Jackson State University in Mississippi, where she earned her undergraduate degree in English literature. After graduating from Jackson State in 2017, Tipton was unsure where her path would lead her.  

So she prayed. When she felt lost, she asked God what she should do. That time, He led her to ����ֱ�� State.

In 2018, she earned an assistantship at ����ֱ�� State in what was then the journalism and mass communication graduate program. This was the first time she had truly been on her own. Tipton shared the challenges she faced while leaving a Historically Black College/University (HBCU), including feeling lost and different from others.  

Tipton earned her master's degree in journalism and mass communication at ����ֱ�� State in 2020 with a focus on public relations and crisis communication. Tipton said she enjoyed many classes during her time at the university, highlighting a media relations class with Eric Mansfield, assistant vice president of content strategy and communications at ����ֱ�� State, and two classes – digital public relations and crisis communications – with Stefanie Moore, professor in the School of Media and Journalism.  

“All of my professors in Franklin Hall were influential,” Tipton said. “But Dr. Cheryl Ann Lambert [associate professor and graduate coordinator] has been the most influential in my path, and she still makes herself available when I need her.”

“I was uncomfortable with myself, that ‘missing home’ feeling at school, coming from an all-black college. But meeting professors and other diverse people helped me overcome that,” Tipton said while reflecting on her early experiences at ����ֱ�� State.

After graduating from ����ֱ�� State in 2020, Tipton applied for two communications jobs and was denied, but her sister was starting a nonprofit, the ACTion Foundation, to provide scholarships for students in their hometown of Flint who were attending HBCUs. Tipton’s sister offered her an opportunity to volunteer as the public relations specialist for the foundation, allowing her to hone her social media and communications skills.

In 2022, a position in the ����ֱ�� State Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement opened, and Tipton applied.  

“I was unsure of myself at first,” she said, “but my connection with God ensured a smooth process.” She said she was surprised to end up back at ����ֱ�� State two years after graduation.  

“I really enjoy the work I do. They keep me busy, but there’s no complaints from me,” Tipton said.  

During a regular check-in with her supervisor, a common question they asked her was, “where do you see yourself in the future?” This question stumped her for a long time, and she was not sure what she wanted in terms of her career path. Until one day, she was.

Here, Tipton spoke with ����ֱ�� State Today about her goals for the business:

“I don’t really want to work for anybody else down the line,” Tipton said. “Those questions about my future really prompted me to think.” This is when the idea of founding her own agency came to her. 

“I never imagined being a business owner,” Tipton said while talking about her month-old agency. She started to ask God what direction she should go in for this specific journey. That’s when He confirmed the launch of her agency on her birthday in November.  

Sure enough, Reigning Diva Agency LLC, was established in November 2023 and is currently a “a one-woman show,” according to Tipton. She decided right away she would cater to a niche audience that reflects her, one she could relate to. So, Reigning Diva Agency specializes in serving minority clientele and women-owned businesses.  

She also wanted the agency to reflect the work she knew she could thrive in; crisis management, content writing, social media development and media relations. All the things she said she is passionate about.  

Tipton hopes to build a team and eventually run the company behind the scenes once she is married and has children. Right now, though, she said she is “building her empire.”

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