Bridging Barnard Generations

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This summer, Barnard alumna and trustee Maryam Banikarim ’89, P’21, is sharing her expertise with two Barnard interns, Shreya Shivakumar ’25 and Dalina Cao ’28, as they collaborate on projects focused on building community and telling impactful stories.

Through Beyond Barnard’s Handshake Portal, Shivakumar, a recent political science graduate headed to Columbia Law School in the fall, first connected with Banikarim’s nonprofit NYCNext. As the founder of Nourish America — which delivers healthy, allergy-safe foods to families in need — Shivakumar felt a natural connection to NYCNext’s community-driven mission. “I saw that Maryam was a co-founder of NYCNext, which is a nonprofit that is working to create community in New York City through volunteer, grassroots engagement,” says Shivakumar. “That really resonated with me based on my background and my volunteer work in food insecurity.”

For Cao, a rising sophomore considering a double major in English and economics, the chance to work with Banikarim was a clear fit. “I actually heard Maryam speak at a talk with the Columbia College Women’s Association … and I thought she was super inspiring,” Dalina recalls. “One of the main reasons I applied was because I remembered her.”

The pair has spent the summer immersed in two signature projects: NYCNext’s The Longest Table, which transforms city blocks into community potlucks, and The Messy Parts podcast, where Banikarim and her impressive guests discuss “the messy parts of their journey.” Cao has leaned into digital design and YouTube strategy for the podcast, noting, “What really interests me is the back-end portion. I like seeing the strategy behind getting more views … and learning from Banikarim’s engagement strategies has been very valuable.”

While there is overlap between the work that Cao and Shivakumar do, they’ve each homed in on different areas. Shivakumar has focused more on community outreach, social media, and grant proposals for The Longest Table — the latter in which she has experience, thanks to her own nonprofit work. “Maryam really appreciates that we never say, ‘I don’t know, sorry.’ We turn it into something positive — like, ‘I’ll look it up.’”

Beyond the hands-on experience, Cao says Banikarim’s fearless outlook has made a lasting impression. “I love how she’s just kind of a ‘Just do it’ person. She’s not afraid of just trying things. … If it doesn’t turn out well, then we learn. That’s something I want to implement more.”

As it so happens, Banikarim sees that very same initiative — that “figure it out mindset” — in Cao and Shivakumar. “What I love about all of the interns is their attitude,” she says. “They’re very focused on getting things done.”