Empowerment through education
While earning her bachelor's degree, Karen worked at a community clinic and helped educate low-income immigrants and refugees in the Twin Cities. She put together customized educational programs focusing on dental nutrition and dental hygiene and presented at the clinic, local schools, churches, or community centers. The minority populations she worked with included Hmong, Karen (minority from Myanmar), Burmese, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Somali, and Sudanese.