A first-generation American and the first in her family to attend college, Karena credits UC Berkeley for opening her mind and paving the way for her upward mobility.

“Even though I was a political science major,” she says, “Berkeley nurtured the intellectual curiosity and critical thinking that enabled me to pursue a career in a field outside that of my formal study.” Today, she works as an executive tech recruiter, and her experience at Cal remains a source of inspiration. And the Library is one of her favorite areas of campus to support.

Karena says she feels obliged to keep the path to upward mobility open for future scholars and that Berkeley is the most obvious place for her to do so.

“Until someone can show me another institution that’s as successful as Cal in developing leaders who speak truth to power, reform institutions, build organizations that last, create powerful art, or shape the ideas that change societies,” Karena says, “my donations are going to Cal.”