Who I am: Hi! I’m Katalina. I grew up internationally (Germany & Switzerland) and moved to the states when I was nine. As both a middle child and third-culture kid, I always felt a bit in-between. My career has been similar, working across CPG and tech, going from brand management to product management. Lately, I’ve been leaning more into embracing the ambiguity and not needing to define myself by external labels, achievements, or affiliations as much — it’s an ongoing journey.

I’m passionate about: Mental health (overthinkers anyone?), dance (modern, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, tap, lyrical), dogs (ask me about my cute 3-year-old golden retriever cocker spaniel mix, Jovie), people (psych undergrad), sunny weather (find me at the beach).

Why I mentor at Twenty: I have mentored throughout all stages of my career - from being a dance instructor in high school, to providing mentorship through StepUp in Los Angeles, to interviewing and mentoring for Duke University. I want to give back, help navigate, and provide support in ways that I wish I had in my early twenties. I love that Twenty provides the type of support, direction, and guidance that was previously hard to come by without either access to top institutions or a ton of potentially awkward conversations.

Let's break the ice and make the twenties the best decade for the next generation!

• changing industries (from CPG to tech for me),
• dealing with difficult managers (unfortunately I had a bully as a manager and wish I had resources to navigate it at the time),
• how to prepare your experiences to shine in PM interviews (I positioned my brand management experiences to land PM roles).

• how to come out to family members & friends (I identify as bisexual and my twenties was when I navigated this the most)
• how to build community in a new city (I moved cross-country to LA without knowing anyone)
• how to stay in touch with friends virtually (for those of us with pockets of friends throughout the world).
• networking

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transparent, supportive, and non-judgmental. Whether you have a question you want to discuss, need advice about a certain issue, have a dream you want to make reality, or just need to vent, I’ve got your back!