Kartika is a Bronx Native and first generation American. She is very proud of her Ecuadorian heritage and the immigrant community that makes New York City so unique and diverse. She went to college in Ecuador and acquired an international perspective on social issues relating to community empowerment, activism, inequality, and grassroots organizing. Kartika is passionate about working across municipal government systems and the nonprofit sector to create more inclusive government responses that are sensitive to the needs of NYC’s increasingly diverse population.

Prior to NYU Wagner, Kartika worked in the AmeriCorps program at South Bronx United and as an intern for the office of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, furthering Kartika’s commitment and dedication to social justice and community organizing. She aims to work with municipal and community leaders to create a lasting social and economic impact though community empowerment, multilingual outreach, and important political acknowledgment of historically marginalized and underserved communities in the city of New York.