By: Maya Perry

Rida Naser is a quirky but determined individual who walked into her passion through a simple radio contest. I couldn’t believe the story when she told me but it’s true. Rida is an original who chose to go by her given name. She explains, “I feel like if I came up with a random name, I would hate it down the line and then I’d be stuck with it. With my own name, I have no choice but to like it!”

Rida’s radio story begins when she won a contest to meet Selena Gomez at an FM radio station. She walked in and fell in love with the energy of the place and pursued an internship in August of 2013. From there, she got involved with her college radio station where she became an on air host. She then pursued a programming internship in 2014 at Sirius XM Radio and within a year, she was promoted to music programming coordinator. Rida’s drive and ambition allowed her to improve her skills and develop within the industry. This determination has lead Rida to become Program Director at SiriusXM.

When asked what she would tell her younger self, she states “Keep doing your thang, girl! You’re going to be really proud of yourself one day. There will be a lot of failures along the way, but don’t let them hold you back. If you take one step back, take two steps forward and keep going.”

This woman in radio’s story inspires us to recognize that every person’s journey is diverse but the love of music will drive you to fight through all obstacles for the ultimate goal. Rida continues by stating, “I found my purpose in radio when I realized how much radio can affect artist’s lives. I love finding new music, I love playing them on the air, and I love seeing new artist’s reactions.”

Rida continues to push the radio culture forward and sets an example for all prospective and active women programmers across the world.