My 9 to 5
I am a Manager in Mastercard‘s Center for Inclusive Growth, supporting global volunteerism, disaster response, data for social good and our proprietary Girls4Tech program, now the world’s largest STEM education program in the world at 7+ million girls strong. I launched and manage our internal giving portal and manage the company’s CSR data analysis.
For three years, I was a Marketing Analyst in Mastercard’s Data & Services segment, managing Marketing Campaigns for our Travel, Government and Restaurant segments on the Merchant side and card Loyalty on the Issuer side. During that time, I built and managed the company’s Case Studies discipline and built an award-winning, end-to-end internal and external campaign for the relaunch of Mastercard Travel Rewards. I also serve as the Philanthropy co-lead for Mastercard’s Young Professionals program and have been recognized with four CEO Force for Good Awards.
My Education
I graduated with an MBA from Johns Hopkins’ Carey Business School in May 2023, concentrating in Marketing, Product Development and Executive Leadership. My favorite coursework included end-to-end consulting for local startups and an incubator class that built business plans for social impact. I graduated from Boston University with a BA in International Relations in 2019. At BU, I served on the Executive Board of the International Affairs Association (the university’s largest student organization), was the Editor-in-Chief of the International Relations Review, and founded Students for the United Nations (the university’s inaugural UNA-USA chapter). I studied at BU satellite campuses in the United Kingdom and Australia during this time, interning for David Lammy, MP in British Parliament and the former Attorney General of New South Wales. I also worked at the Pardee School of Global Studies and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
My Writing
I am the author of The Voice of Thunder, a Young Adult Fiction novel. I am currently working on a fledgling writing project that I look forward to sharing with the world in 2026. I freelance in thought leadership and editorial writing on demand.
My Passions
I am the President of the Board of Directors (formerly, CEO) of Urban Refuge, a nonprofit that leverages 
Google Street Maps to connect refugees living in urban spaces with the necessary aid resources around them by breaking geographic and language barriers. As an incubator class at BU as well as a nonprofit organization, this tool not only provides a lifeline for refugees but also connects international relations to tech, pairing research and policy training with real product builds, data analysis, coding and business development. Urban Refuge has supported refugee aid in five cities, but it has also inspired three generations of women to pursue higher education and careers in or adjacent to STEM. In 2022, I represented Urban Refuge as a Clinton Global University Initiative Fellow.
I founded the “It’s Her Time” College Scholarship in partnership with the Friends of the White Plains Youth Bureau to make higher education more accessible for young women who display excellence in community service and leadership at my alma mater, White Plains High School. Now in its sixth year, we have awarded over $32,000 to 12 students.
I am a trained Disaster Responder with the American Red Cross and have deployed five times to disasters in Texas, Kentucky, Florida, North Carolina and California. I am also a Wish Granter with my local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I have served on the Board of Directors of the United Nations Association of Westchester as the Communications Chair since 2019 and was recognized as the United Nations Association’s Young Leader of the Year in 2022.
In the Past: Highlights
At 10 years old, I was the co-founder and President of Global Ambassadors INTERACT and REACT News, organizations focused on educating students K-12 about the Sustainable Development Goals through art and technology, and raising funds to build fresh water facilities in local Kenyan communities. For three years, I worked as Conference Coordinator of the Youth Assembly at the United Nations, bringing together high-level stakeholders from UN Missions, UN offices, NGOs and the public and private sectors for a sustainable development-focused, three-day event benefitting young people from 65+ countries, twice each year. I also did Model United Nations for 17 years, competing everywhere from the United Nations to Madrid and serving as Secretary-General of conferences everywhere from New York to Istanbul to Beijing. In 2015, I concluded a three-year, award-winning independent study on the impact of climate change on horseshoe crab migration patterns, conducted along the Eastern US coast from Delaware to Connecticut.
What Else?
I am a global citizen: I have worked in New York, Boston, London, Beijing and Sydney, as well as the United Nations. I have conducted research in Istanbul, Bangkok, and New York. I have run or supported programs in New York, Boston, Sweden, the UK, India, New Zealand, Tanzania, and Kenya. In 27 years, I have traveled globally to 55 countries from Colombia to Cambodia to Zambia.
I have been practicing Indian dance since I was seven years old. I choreographed for White Plains High School’s Jiggy Showcase for two years and danced on Boston University’s award-winning Bollywood fusion team, Chankaar. Today, I choreograph on-demand for weddings.
I have been recognized for my work by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, the United Nations Association of USA, Mastercard, Zonta International, the Walt Disney Foundation and Claes Nobel, among others.
Tell me your story or ask me more about mine.
See my LinkedIn for more information, or find me @rainakadavil on Instagram to follow my travels.