Life & Work with Karina Koppikar of Scottsdale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karina Koppikar

Hi Karina, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Karina Koppikar and I am a high school junior. I devote my time to writing, performing arts, and anthropological studies.

My involvement in philanthropy and nonprofit work around the Valley has fueled my hope to one day work in the policy world. I am a co-founder of local nonprofit My Tasty Table, which aims to educate children impacted by food insecurity about the importance of healthy eating as well as how to do so on a budget. I also serve as a National Ambassador for a global nonprofit called Loving Library, whose mission is to improve the wellbeing of communities in need through books. Last summer, I had the opportunity to intern at a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. where I gained valuable insight into congressional operations and political affairs.

I am also influenced by my passion for performing arts, and my acting experience ranges from the stage to the screen. I have had the privilege of taking part in stage musicals at companies such as Desert Stages, Arizona Broadway, and more. I also act in commercials. In fact, I was recently featured in an anti-vaping ad by the Arizona Department of Health that is now being shown on Snapchat, Instagram, Youtube, and Harkins Theaters!

In my free time, I love Bollywood dance, reading, and spending time with my amazing friends.

I recently published a contemporary fiction book called Six-Point Star, now available on Amazon. Writing my first book has been a crazy journey, but I’m so grateful for all the support I have received.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being a new writer, especially as a teenager, can be a difficult process.

I wasn’t really sure where to start, and I didn’t know how to access the necessary resources to publish a book. Throughout most of the writing and editing process, I struggled to believe that my book was worth reading. On many occasions, that self-doubt almost made me abandon the process altogether.

After extensive research, I was able to get the book started, and I finished it six months later. Then, I spent four months editing the content and structure. This stage was particularly tough because I don’t have an editor. Thus, I spent hours combing through my novel to ensure that it did not contain any errors. Then, I designed a cover (which features a picture of myself), and published the book!

The hardest part about the process was taking all of these steps on my own. With no professional experience or assistance, I felt a little bit lost during the beginning stages. However, I am so glad I didn’t give up. I have a deep passion for the subject matter of the book, and I believe its message should be shared.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
One year ago, I never would have expected to call myself a published author, so saying it now feels almost surreal. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported me during the writing and publishing process. My new fiction book, Six-Point Star, is a story that has come to mean so much to me, and I hope it inspires other people.

I started writing the book when I was 16 years old and the process took, in total, about 11 months. The bulk of the writing process took place during June and July, during which I was living in Washington, D.C. for an internship at a lobbying firm. Although it was difficult balancing my commitment to working on my book every day with a busy internship schedule, the process could not have been more worth it.

I thought of the idea for Six-Point Star after the Israel-Hamas conflict escalated on October 7th, 2023. I observed how the students at my school, who were already very culturally divisive, began to use religious differences as a means to discriminate against each other. My family is Indian, and I grew up learning about the India-Pakistan Partition. The two events struck me as very similar, both in terms of how they happened and their impacts on the people around me.

I wrote Six-Point Star with the aspiration of opening up conversations about religion. I hope that, one day, religion will no longer be used as a source of isolation and that religious differences can be celebrated, not feared.

What matters most to you?
I think it’s super important that we are willing to learn about each other. Often, discrimination and bias stem from ignorance and a general lack of empathy towards people who are different from yourself.

My book highlights the importance of learning about the cultural identities of those around you, and how that will lead to the realization that though two people may come from different ethnic backgrounds, they really aren’t so different.

However, this prospect isn’t limited to cultural identity. Regardless of someone’s race, gender, socio-economic background, or religion, being willing to learn about the way another person lives will lead to a more understanding world. I hope this is the message people will gather from Six-Point Star.

Pricing:

• Six-Point Star: $5.99 on Amazon

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @karina_koppikar