Meet Karen

Born and raised in Guadalajara, Jal., in the beautiful country of Mexico, Karen L. Azzara (aka Karen L. Perez Patron), came to this country at the age of 14 when his father, a man who had dedicated his profession to chemical engineering decided to search for a better life for his wife and daughter.

From ESL classes, living in difficult conditions, bullying for not being able to speak English properly, struggling to fit in, and caught in the endless wait of the immigration system, Karen and her family never gave up and continue to fight for a better life with the mind of serving others.

Karen graduated from High School at the age of 17 and transitioned to the one place that allowed her the opportunity to grow and perfect her English, East Los Angeles College. Shortly after earning an Associates Degree, Karen transferred to California State University - Long Beach where she earned her Bachelors of Science in Business Administration. Later she earned an MBA from Claremont Graduate University - Peter Drucker and Masatoshi Ito School of Management.

Earning a degree in the U.S. was a true dream for Karen. Every endless night studying even harder than the average person due to the language barrier and working multiple jobs to earn money, Karen kept her vision clear in her mind, graduating and having a positive impact in society. One of those jobs that Karen is truly proud of is the role of Student Assistant at the Disabled Student Program & Services at East Los Angeles College. “Working with students with disabilities, supporting them through their learning struggles and mostly, watching them succeed at graduating with their degrees with the hopes for a better future - I felt as if I was part of them achieving their dreams. That is when my dream of “Achieve a Dream” was born.”

Karen chose a career in Human Resources due to that same passion - the passion to serve, support the growth of, and make a difference in others. Through her career with multiple Fortune 500 corporations she continued to grow personally and professionally to now earn the role of Senior Director of HR within a large technology company. In the course of building her professional career, she also focused on her own dream “Achieve a Dream”.

She went back to ELAC to support those students and programs she had fallen in love with and with her own personal funds, funded over 100 scholarships to students receiving support from the college’s different services for low income and disabled students. Today, “Achieve a Dream” is born to continue its mission through the partnership with colleges & institutions across southern California.

Karen’s sense of responsibility to serve people and her communities through Achieve a Dream is fueled by the love of her family and the privilege of being a mother and devoted wife. It is their love who inspire her to accomplish more and reach her own dreams.