Karen is a daughter of Mexican immigrants who was born and raised in Santa Ana, California, also known as the unceded Acjachemen and Tongva land. Her love and passion for justice are rooted in her upbringing in a culturally rich immigrant family and community. As someone who witnessed and experienced many injustices growing up, she naturally learned to fiercely advocate for herself, stand in her power, and support others. These experiences led her to earn a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Chicanx Studies and Political Science from the University of California, Irvine where she gained the foundational understanding that the inequities and injustices that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color face every day are interlinked and stem from institutional racism. This principle continues to guide her environmental justice work.

Prior to joining the California Walks team, Karen dedicated the last 5 years to fighting for park equity in central Orange County, focusing on the cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove. In 2019, Karen helped establish the Rise Up Willowick coalition, a grassroots community group dedicated to protecting and transforming the 102-acre Willowick golf course into a public park with deep community programming. Her efforts focused on addressing the park and open space crisis that envelops low-income, working-class-immigrant communities. As a community organizer for the Rise Up Willowick coalition, Karen helped develop authentic community relationships with residents to encourage their participation in local land use processes and include their voices and vision in the development of their neighborhood. In partnership with other community groups and stakeholders, the Rise Up Willowick coalition successfully stopped the illegal disposition of Willowick and continues to hold the City of Garden Grove and Santa Ana accountable to their most vulnerable residents. Karen holds the belief that joy, health, and prosperity are inherent to everyone but a privilege for most people of color and is committed to increasing outdoor equity.

Along with her environmental justice work, she brings her lived experience of exploring her city through walking and relying on public transportation for most of her life. As a Community Programs Coordinator for California Walks, Karen is dedicated to making communities safe and accessible for everyone. She hopes to connect with different communities throughout California and collaborate with them to uplift their vision as authors of their own development and ultimately hopes to intentionally create a long-term impact in building inclusive streets and multi-modal transit.