Following this maxim, Karina Chupina seeks to inspire people with disabilities to overcome obstacles and live life to the fullest. Hailing from St. Petersburg, Russia, Chupina traveled to Tecumseh, Michigan in 1996 to take part in the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program. The wealth of experiences she gained during this formative year led her to become a passionate community activist committed to improving the lives of disabled youth.

Chupina, who is hard of hearing, realized during her exchange that persons with disabilities, while requiring more attention to their special needs, should be able to lead full and complete lives. Impressed by the enthusiasm and self-confidence of American children living with disabilities, Chupina took every opportunity to learn from them. She participated in contests; wrote articles and essays; and was awarded with invitations to the "Yes, I Can!" conference in Salt Lake City, Utah; and to the International Leadership Forum of Women with Disabilities with former First Lady Hillary Clinton in Washington, D.C.

After returning to Russia, Chupina worked with the Fund of Assistance to Disabled Children and Youth in St. Petersburg, the International Federation of Hard of Hearing Young People (IFHOHYP), for which she currently serves as president, and built upon contacts established in the United States. Through these networks, she helped many Russian children with disabilities participate in more activities.

In 2001 and 2002, Chupina won FLEX alumni grants to conduct a series of activities for disabled youth. Her projects, which empowered disabled youth to participate more actively in mainstream society, created a range of opportunities for self-expression and development of talents through international competitions, training programs, English language courses, and wheelchair ballroom dancing.

Through her indefatigable activism, Chupina became a leader of a growing disabled-youth movement in Europe.  She became an international trainer for Council of Europe courses on diversity, youth, and disabilities.  Chupina became a member of the European Disability Forum (EDF), working with committees for youth human rights and social policies. She facilitated large-scale EDF events including conferences in Greece and Spain. She also worked with the United Network of Young Peacebuilders, the European Human Bridges network, and drafted guidance for a Council of Europe manual on human rights education.

In 2005, Chupina proved to be an instrumental facilitator in a FLEX alumni conference for students with disabilities, where she prepared and coordinated policy recommendations to the Council of the Russian Federation on human rights of youth with disabilities. These recommendations were later submitted to other bodies. Recently, Chupina submitted new policy recommendations to the Russian parliament based upon international policy recommendations.

Her work in the areas of minority youth participation, integration of youth with disabilities, and human rights education have earned her respect and attention in her field internationally. She was the recipient of a prestigious fellowship from the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the human rights organization Memorial. She has also received awards for academic excellence and journalism.  Chupina is currently conducting her doctoral research in sociology on social inclusion at Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany and she continues her work as a freelance international trainer, consultant, and writer.