Karlen started out as a math-science student, and went to The Polytechnic Institute of NYU majoring in Mechanical Engineering because that was the practical thing to do. After a year, she found that being practical made her miserable so she decided to pursue her childhood dreams of being an artist instead. She stayed at her current school and switched to the Digital Media major, as that program allowed for her to apply her creativity while learning various tech and software skills. Karlen graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors which to her dismay, was only a fancy piece of paper that would not help her get a job. After 2 years of false starts, wrong turns, and building a portfolio, she landed her first art job as a 2D-lipsync animator for education products. At the company, she demonstrated her diverse skill and willingness to adapt and learn, becoming their main 3D artist doing R&D, modeling, rigging, animation and game development. Since then, she's moved on to working with different studios on projects which include AR experiences, games, and animation productions. Karlen is based in NYC is always looking for interesting projects to hop on.