Ishita Katiyar’s story spans continents, cultures, and a leap of faith that brought her from the “Silicon Valley of India” to the heart of innovation in California. Along the way, she’s learned to navigate the challenges of being a first-generation college student and international student—while contributing to Chime’s mission to help everyday people Unlock Financial ProgressTM.
Growing up in the heart of innovation
Ishita grew up in Bangalore, India, a city where technology isn’t just an industry, it’s part of daily life. Surrounded by people building the apps and devices she used every day, she felt a natural pull toward computers and software.
“It felt like as I was growing, technology was growing alongside me,” she says. “It was almost as though we were siblings, in a way.”
But once her decision was made to study computer science, the pandemic shaped her reality—which very quickly didn’t match her expectations. Classes and internships were remote, the social and collaborative experiences she had dreamed of were missing, and she found herself longing for something more hands-on. “I wanted that in-person college experience,” she says, “and a place where I could truly build things, from projects to friendships and my network.”
A first-generation leap of faith
So she decided to pursue a Master’s degree and applied to U.S. colleges. As the first in her family to go to college, Ishita’s decision to continue her studies, as well as do so abroad, was momentous. Even though her father served in the Air Force after high school and her mother grew up in a small village, both pushed her to pursue her dreams.
While she could have continued her studies in India, Ishita was drawn to the U.S. education system’s flexibility and focus on application over theory. “In India, the education system is quite rigid,” she explains. “Here, I can customize my learning and work on projects that feel real. It’s like having a playground to explore and build upon.”
Coming to the U.S. wasn’t without its challenges. After all, Ishita didn’t have any family or friends here. “It was scary not knowing anyone,” she admits. “But it’s been so rewarding. California felt like the place where I could stay close to my roots in innovation—it’s where ideas become products that can change lives.”
Choosing Chime
Ishita’s interest in fintech started during a mobile payments internship in India, where she saw firsthand how digital tools could help people avoid the hassle of visiting a bank or ATM.
“When I saw the opportunity at Chime, I knew I wanted to be here,” she says. “Purpose drives my work—and Chime’s mission to help people achieve financial progress deeply resonated with me.”
Her summer internship confirmed her choice. She found a culture that encourages curiosity and values every voice.
“In my first weeks, so many people came up to say hi. Even in the microkitchen, I made friends. Chime is more than just a 9-to-5—it feels like a community with a shared purpose.”
Building AI-powered insights for Chime members
Going into her Chime internship, Ishita’s goal was to work on something that would be released into the world. “I wanted to see the full process, from gathering requirements to launching a product, and understand what it takes to make something real that people can use,” she says. And she did just that.
As part of the Member Intelligence and Insights team, Ishita’s internship focused on harnessing support data to create actionable insights for product teams. “Before now, finding patterns in member feedback was manual and inconsistent,” she explains. “I built a bot that feeds our member interaction data to AI models, which summarize and highlight trends every two weeks. With the generated reports, Product teams can quickly identify member pain points and decide what to tackle next.”
She worked with tools like Freeplay for prompt engineering, Ruby on Rails, and DataDog for monitoring, and even used AI tools like ChatGPT to unblock herself when stuck: “AI is the backbone of this work. It’s helping us understand members faster and act on what we learn.”
One of her proudest moments came towards the end of her internship, when she shipped her project: “We shipped the bot and sent out the first reports while sitting together in a meeting room, cheering. I’ll never forget that moment.”
Lessons learned and looking ahead
Beyond technical skills and tools, Ishita learned the importance of ownership and asking for help early during her internship. “If you’re stuck, unblocking yourself helps the whole team,” she reflects. “Sometimes, the problem isn’t even what you think it is, and raising your hand early can help identify blockers more effectively.”
She’s also embraced feedback as a growth accelerator after being encouraged by her manager to seek it often. “Getting feedback earlier helps you improve faster, and it’s one of the best lessons I’m taking with me.”
With one semester left in her Master’s program, Ishita is thinking about what’s next—but she knows she wants to keep building technology with purpose.
To make sure she stays the course and aligned with what drives her, she encourages consistency: “Consistency is your best ally. Show up for yourself every day. Keep learning, stay curious, and focus on growing both technically and professionally. Opportunities will come to those who keep moving forward.”
