About
Hi, I'm Karen!
I'm an community-centered researcher, designer, and storyteller based between Cambridge and New York. I recently graduated in May 2026 with a degree in Urban Studies & Social Justice from Harvard.
My work moves between fieldwork and design that ask people to think about the places they call home. I'm drawn to informal moments where care and community are built. My goal is to build human centered spaces that are imbue empathy within our cities.
shot on the Ikon Zeiss Contaflex, Porta 400
What I work on
Community research
Interviews, participatory mapping, and fieldwork with residents, elders, and neighborhood groups.
Urban & public space design
Reimagining overlooked corridors, waterfronts, and shared spaces for connection.
Oral history & storytelling
Photo essays, letters, and recorded conversations that carry memory forward.
Methods & tools
Ethnographic interviewing, participatory mapping, oral history recording, community facilitation, and 35mm film photography. Comfortable in Adobe Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere), Figma, Miro, ArcGIS, and Google Workspace.