UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs: Karishma Shamdasani

Karishma Shamdasani

Karishma is from the San Gabriel Valley and so considers her acceptance into the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs as marking a return to Los Angeles rather than a simple move. Growing up, she helped out in her family’s small business in the Fashion District of DTLA, developing an awareness of socioeconomic issues ingrained within the city. Her policy interests are housing, transportation, and growth policy, specifically at the intersection of equity and environment health. While an undergraduate at UC San Diego she interned for Prosperity Now under their Racial Wealth Divide team which provided her the tools for understanding the far-reaching effects of social and economic policies. While at UCSD, she also interned for the County of San Diego Planning and Development Services (PDS) department. She was later hired as a full-time Land Use/Environmental Planner. There, she became familiar with a range of permit types and garnered experience in preparing documents for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Her time at PDS sparked a passion for public service in local government which she believes is the exact place where people and policy meet.

Currently, she is the Programming and Budgeting Chair for Policy Professionals for Diversity and Equity (PPDE), providing programming tailored toward underrepresented students. She has worked on projects such as the first Second-Year Sendoff, a graduation reception meant to recognize the diversity of the graduating MPP 2020 cohort. As part of PPDE, she also participated in a peer mentoring program assisting underrepresented students with the Luskin MPP application process and admissions advocacy for the MPP Class of 2022.

Karishma is passionate about making Los Angeles a great city for those who are here and those to come and honored to do so as a Bohnett Fellow. She is excited to work on projects supporting equity and environmental health at the Mayor’s Office of Transportation.