Meet Karnika Iyengar
Karnika is an entrepreneur, career development adviser, and social impact strategist.
She co-founded one of the nation’s largest paid public service internship programs when she worked at David Axelrod’s Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago, providing over a thousand internships to students and advising hundreds of students and young professionals. She worked with over 400 domestic and international nonprofit, governmental, business, social justice, and cultural organizations (like the State Department, CNN, HuffPost, the White House, and the United Nations to name a few) to create substantive, paid internship opportunities for college and graduate students. Karnika also developed mentorship programs, coordinated international trips, and hosted career conversations with renowned public servants, government officials, political operatives, and practitioners.
At 29, Karnika became the Executive Director of a 501(c)(3) headquartered in Chicago that serves girls ages 14-21 who identify as refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers by providing them with mentors, tutoring and educational resources, and safe spaces.
She has worked in a number of other sectors, including law and tech, and has extensive fundraising experience. In 2020, Karnika was appointed to the City of Chicago Women’s Advisory Council. She also sits on the Board of Directors of Refugee Action Network and serves as the Board Treasurer. She completed her MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2018, specializing in entrepreneurship, managerial and organizational behavior, and strategic management. She graduated with Honors from the University of Chicago in 2011 and holds a BA in Political Science.
For the last ten years, Karnika has had the privilege of working in a number of roles across industries. Her goal is to use her experience and relationships to provide guidance to individuals and organizations looking to find fulfillment, success, and joy as they achieve their missions.
Connect with Karnika on LinkedIn.
Education
MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
BA, University of Chicago
Topics
Career development, social impact, civic engagement, youth advocacy, youth development, female empowerment, women’s and girls’ issues, and refugee and immigrant issues (Please use the “Contact” page if you are interested in reaching out regarding a speaking engagement.)
For information about Karnika’s Awards & Speaking Engagements, please click here.
"Hira" means diamond in Sanskrit. Diamonds are a meaningful symbol of strength, beauty, and, most of all, tenacity, as they are formed under immense pressure.
Additional Support for Women and Minorities
As a woman of color who has experience in law, business, higher education, politics, tech, and nonprofits, I have experienced many situations in which I was the only woman in the room and even more in which I was the only woman of color. I have seen well-intentioned people create policies or procedures that did not reflect female-identified voices, and I have also experienced women and people of color being purposely excluded from opportunities for advancement.
Throughout my career, I have not only strived to be included at the table but also worked to invite other underrepresented individuals to join me and to have their voices elevated. If you or someone you know is interested in working with Hira but does not have the financial resources to do so, please contact us directly via the Contact page. I offer a number of pro-bono services for women and underrepresented minorities.
No one should be left behind due to a lack of financial resources.