Introducing the Founder

Karissa Kamsiyochukwu Idoko, currently a sophomore majoring in Interior Architecture and Design at Abilene Christian University, Texas. At 9, Karissa became one of the youngest not-for-profit founders in Africa, establishing Karissa’s Girls in Design (KGID), formerly known as Karissa’s Girls in Africa for Progress (KGAP Initiative).

In 2016, she authored “Don’t Enter the Pressure Pot,” a book featuring advice from older women for younger girls navigating life. Since 2014, Karissa has positively impacted over 200 girls in Nigeria.

Now eighteen, Karissa participated in the 8th annual Girl Up Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., from July 15 to 17, 2019, and attended the United Nations sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York from March 6 to 17, 2023. These experiences have significantly influenced and shaped her leadership skills.

Motivated by her passion, Karissa looks forward to continuing her journey by authoring more books and impacting girls’ leadership and empowerment globally.