Karen (she/her) grew up in Stockton, CA and is a first-generation college graduate. While she is not technically a transfer student, she did receive her Associates Degree in Arts and Humanities when she graduated high school. Karen then attended and graduated from UC Davis with her Bachelors in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Karen has been a part of HPA since 2016 when she was a student. Now, as a staff advisor, she advises all health professions and topics and has an emphasis in meeting with students about application prep and GPA concerns. Her advising philosophy is rooted in supporting students/alumni holistically and working with advisees to develop a plan and find next steps that work best for their circumstances. Additionally, Karen looks forward to continuing to develop partnerships on- and off-campus, for example collaborating with El Centro and Undocumented Student Resource Center on events. She oversees the majority of pre-dental programming at HPA including Pre-Dental Orientation in the Fall, Pre-Dental Applicant Retreat in Winter/Spring, and Pre-Dental Bootcamp in the Summer. She also enjoys partnering with the health professionals on the HPA Advisory Board for programming and connecting students with alumni.
