# @sjmagmedia on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdb0HdDtJru
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/177327-sjmagmedia-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/3f102a2955.jpg
- **Posted:** 2022-05-11T22:30:48.000+00:00

## Caption

✨ Introducing: Women of Excellence Woman to Watch Honoree: Nikita Shukla, Analytics Associate, Clinton Health Access Initiative! ✨

Growing up, Nikita Shukla assumed she would follow her parents’ career paths and study science or medicine after high school. She truly loved science – still does to this day.

So it didn’t cross her mind that joining Cherry Hill East’s Model UN club would be life-altering. “I liked traveling, debating and learning about the world,” Nikita says. “But I was also involved in lots of science activities, played varsity tennis and my entire trajectory was science-oriented.”

That changed during her senior year in 2013. Her role as the Model UN club’s secretary general ignited a passion for challenging inequities that held back women and people of color. She could envision a future for herself working on the international stage, negotiating treaties and agreements that lift people up.

“There were no vocal Southeastern Asian women, or any women of color, in high profile diplomacy I could point to," she says. 

She studied international relations at Tufts University. Summers traveling the globe with internships convinced her that she could make a difference advocating for universal healthcare, youth and women’s empowerment.

Since then, Nikita has worked both in the public and private sectors, including a stint as the youngest program manager at Amazon Alexa, managing business across 7 countries. In 2019, she represented the United States as the Head Delegate at the 2019 G7 Youth Summit in Paris. She is currently wrapping up her work with the Clinton Initiative supporting efforts in East Africa before heading to the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School as a 2022 Pickering Fellow in August. It’s a stepping stone to serving as a foreign diplomat.

“My ultimate dream job would be heading a non-profit helping women and girls in the U.S.,” she says. “There’s lots of issues here that need attention.”

Get to know Francina and the rest of our 2022 Women of Excellence Honorees at our Link in Bio! 📷: @dmhphotographer

#southjersey #womenofexcellence #justsaysj #newjersey

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## Credits

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SJ Magazine | @Justsaysj | https://gondola.cc/Justsaysj | Magazine |
| Elyse Notarianni | @ElyseNotarianni | https://gondola.cc/ElyseNotarianni | Social Media Manager |

## Tags

justsaysj, southjersey, newjersey, womenofexcellence

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