The Honeycomb Project is a family-based community service organization that seeks to to inspire future generations to make a positive difference. Kristina Lowenstein, the group’s founder and executive director, aims to empower young, rising volunteers through accessible, hands-on projects. Her group provided a space for all individuals to contribute to a cause, regardless of age. For over a decade, Lowenstein’s programming has helped connect aspiring youth activists to over 50 local non-profits. I was lucky enough to speak with Lowenstein to get a closer look into her role. All quotes have been taken directly from a private interview.
Q: What is your job?
A: I’m the executive director at the Honeycomb Project, an organization that provides family volunteer opportunities to communities throughout the city of Chicago. In my role, I oversee our programs department as well as our marketing department and fundraising and then work closely with our board of directors.
Q: What does a typical day look like?
A: It varies. Sometimes, we are working on strategies like different programs and partnerships. But today, for example, we’re building out a new community project in which we’re going to be engaging Honeycomb families and [having them be] ambassadors to help us grow our volunteer participation in communities across the city. But we were also talking about the Holiday Cheer Challenge, which happens all the way in December.
Q: What’s the most challenging part of being an executive that most people don’t realize?
A: I think in this climate coming out of COVID, is fundraising. There are a lot of needs in our community, and there’s intense competition for limited resources, so you always have to be on top of fundraising. I also have to make sure that we have the resources we need to run our programs at a great quality and high capacity which I would say is challenging.
Q: What was your first job, and what did you learn from it?
A: My first job was when I was 13 years old, and I had a job at a hot dog stand in an ice cream shop. I wasn’t really of working age, but I really wanted a jacket that was kind of pricey. And my mom said, “Well, if you really want that jacket, you know, you should, you should get a job and, like, pay for it yourself”. And so, I went and got a job. I feel like restaurant jobs are an incredible work experience because they’re really hectic and fast-paced like no other job. I’ve worked in a lot of restaurants over the years, and so I got to learn customer relationship skills, and also just how to work in a fast-paced, stressful environment. It’s also taught me to kind of get through those tough moments and recover.
Q: What were your interests and activities in high school? Were there any experiences that ended up being surprisingly relevant to your current role?
A: Kids of my generation did not do half the activities that you all did –– it was a totally different time. We had a lot more free time, less organized activities, less ambitious pursuits. And so I went to a very, very small school on the south side of Chicago, and, you know, I enjoyed some sports. And by going to a small school, basically, if you like one sport, they put you on every sport, because they need people on the team. And so, I played basketball, softball, volleyball and did track. I was a cheerleader, I did things like Model UN, and I think that was really it. And I did get really interested in community service. I had one inspirational teacher (my political science teacher), and he really got me energized about majoring in political science. And at the time, I wasn’t majorly interested in civic engagement. My parents were very active in the community, but I think that I formalized that as an interest because of a high school class that I took.
Q: Did you have any formal education after high school? If so, what did that look like?
A: I went to New York University in New York. My undergrad was in political science. I had intended on going to law school, and then decided that it wasn’t the right fit for me.
Q: What was your career path leading up to your current role?
A: When I got out of college, I worked in commercial real estate for a few years in downtown Chicago. It was interesting, but not really my passion – I had worked for some nonprofits during college, and that was something I always wanted to do. Then, I had an opportunity to go work at The Field Museum in Chicago, and I worked there for about five years or so, doing all kinds of events and working with scientists and the exhibitors. It was during the time period when they were building the museum campus, so I got to also work with other institutions like the Adler and the Shed. So that was a really interesting job rooted in partnership building. And then after that, I took a job with the Chicago Olympic and Paralympic bid, working to improve accessibility for people with disabilities across the city, increase sport opportunities [and] promote the Paralympic Games. So whether it was with the city of Chicago or Chicago Park District, a lot of that job was partnership building out in the community. Eventually, I lost my job when Chicago didn’t get the games, and that was the moment that I started Honeycomb.
Q: What was the biggest career decision you made that led you to where you are now?
A: Honestly, I feel like there were so many forks in the road that I don’t know that I could pinpoint one thing. The risks, the kind of forks in the road where it’s okay, you can keep going down the same path, but if you’re vying for a change, make a big shift. And that’s happened to me several times, whether it was moving out of a more corporate job into the nonprofit sector or deciding to go back to work after being a mom. I would also say going out on my own and starting my own organization was another big pivot. Making those decisions was difficult at the time because it seemed like such a big change, but all of those were really important moments that led me to the career that makes me so happy.
Q: Can you share a time when you failed or faced a major setback? How did you handle it and what did you learn from it?
A: I feel like there are failures, probably on a weekly basis, everybody encounters and learns from. I have had plenty of failures along the way, but I don’t think I’ve done anything that I haven’t learned significantly from.
Q: What advice would you give to your high school self?
A: Don’t stress so much. I was a very serious student, and I think that’s important, of course, but I think that having really high expectations of yourself like getting perfect scores or grades is important, but at the end of the day, your character and passion are equally important too. As you get out into the real world, those relationships and people and experiences are just as valuable. Savor the moments in between.
Q: What do you look for when hiring young people just starting their careers?
A: Passion. Drive. Creativity. People who are bold, who are excited to bring new ideas to the table and share them.
Lighting round
Q: Coffee or tea?
A: Coffee.
Q: Morning person or night owl?
A: Totally a morning person.
Q: Favorite junk food?
A: Cheeseburgers.
Q: Invisibility or super strength?
A: Super strength
Q: Favorite movie?
A: The Squid and the Whale.
Q: Favorite office snack?
A: We don’t have snacks that stay in the office, but I like bringing in a good cookie.
Q: Most-used app?
A: Google maps.
This is the second interview in a series of columns asking executives, entrepreneurs, and non-profit leaders about how they made it and what “it” looks like. Have a person of interest or company you’d like to see featured? Feel free to email me at [email protected].
