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Rénu Kulkarni: Finding Purpose, Perspective, and Community Through LSI

With a career spanning technology, strategy, and innovation, Rénu reflects on how the Leadership and Society Initiative (LSI) fellowship is shaping her next chapter.

With over 30 years of experience scaling emerging technologies to improve the human condition, LSI Fellow Rénu Kulkarni has built a career bridging academia, industry, and government. We recently sat down with Rénu to learn more about her journey through the fellowship, and how the experience is helping her define her next chapter as a writer.

What learning experience or element of the LSI fellowship has been most impactful to you?

Rénu: I would say the most impactful element of the LSI journey so far has been the cohort, especially the way we show up for and support one another.

Support can look like encouragement, saying “that sounds like a great idea, go do it,” but it can also be additive. Making introductions, sharing resources, reviewing plans, and offering thoughtful critique. It is an active, engaged peer support system.

That said, the cohort would not be as effective without the core curriculum. The liberal arts foundation, including philosophy, sociology, and geopolitics, pushes you to think deeply about humanity and yourself across thousands of years of history, while also helping you make sense of the complex world we are living in today.

That combination creates a shared framework for meaningful conversation. It allows us to engage with difficult topics in a thoughtful way. Ultimately, it is the intersection of the cohort and the curriculum, a supportive group grounded in a common intellectual experience, that makes it so powerful.

Can you share your key takeaways from the recent Travel Study to London?

Rénu: I really appreciated the meta-theme of the London travel study, which focused on democracy in the UK. The LSI team did an excellent job aligning the speakers, site visits, and discussions around that theme.

A highlight for me was visiting the House of Commons, where we met with a Member of Parliament and then observed a live proceeding. The debate we watched, on whether mobile devices should be banned in K-12 schools, was incredibly timely and relevant. Experiencing that discussion in real time was powerful.

Another moment that stood out was visiting a large-scale economic redevelopment project in London that we had studied earlier in the program. Seeing it in person brought the academic material to life in a meaningful way.

We also spent time at Oxford, hearing from speakers on Brexit, the EU, NATO, and global conflict. The conversations were thoughtful, timely, and deeply engaging, and our cohort asked challenging questions that sparked meaningful dialogue.

Beyond the formal programming, the cohort itself made the experience special. Many Fellows organized additional activities to spend time together. It was an immersive week that combined intellectual rigor with connection and shared experience.

It was also clear how much thought and effort went into planning the trip. Having worked on programs like this myself, I truly appreciated the level of detail and care from the LSI team.

What are you most looking forward to continuing to explore or learn through LSI?

Rénu: I feel a bit like a 23-year-old again, thinking about what comes next and what I want to build.

I’ve realized that before I can begin writing, which is what I ultimately want to do, I need a roadmap. What LSI is helping me do is create that roadmap, one that allows me to pursue becoming a writer and storyteller in a structured, intentional way.

For example, a few of us in the cohort are taking a contemporary journalism course together this summer. One of my fellow cohort members has already organized a schedule for how we’ll move through the material and meet to discuss it. That’s a perfect example of how the cohort continues to be both supportive and additive.

I’m also thinking about how to dedicate time to mentoring and supporting girls pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and math, something that’s personally meaningful to me.

At the same time, I’m being much more intentional about how I spend my time, what I say yes to, what I say no to, and how I prioritize my health.

Overall, I feel energized. I don’t know exactly where everything will lead, but I’m excited to explore it.

How have your experiences in LSI shaped your thinking about leadership, society, or the role of purpose at this stage of life?

Rénu: I came into LSI already believing in the importance of purpose, what the Japanese call ikigai, the intersection of what the world needs, what you’re good at, what brings you joy, and what you can be compensated for.

This experience has deepened that belief. At this stage of life, after going through all kinds of personal experiences, you realize the importance of examining yourself and finding that intersection intentionally.

One of the courses we are taking now, Joyspan with Professor Kerry Burnight, reinforces the idea that you live a longer, happier life when you have a sense of purpose that brings you joy and contributes to society.

For me, LSI has helped remind me that I am not alone. Everyone has gone through difficult experiences. The key is to see those experiences as part of life and as a source of strength, and to use them to shape your purpose in meaningful ways.

The University of Chicago Leadership and Society Initiative

The University of Chicago Leadership and Society Initiative (LSI) supports accomplished leaders in successfully transitioning from their longstanding careers toward purposeful next chapters. LSI Fellows immerse themselves in UChicago’s unparalleled environment of big ideas and multigenerational dialogue, gaining frameworks for learning from their past and planning for their futures. 

Through LSI’s rigorous and customizable curriculum, Fellows engage with eminent faculty and expert practitioners to explore how their next chapter can be meaningful for them and for society. This Fellowship is a commitment to personal growth, enduring wellness, and dynamic engagement with pressing societal issues. 

Contact us to learn more about LSI.

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Fellow Stories

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