Karen LaRose

Karen began her Commonpoint career in 2012 as a math instructor at the after-school program at PS 165. Pursuing a career in education, Karen wanted to gain valuable experience in lesson planning and classroom management, and went on to spend her next years in various roles at multiple programs, from instructor all the way up to now as a Senior Director. Her love for working with children in after-school programs, and being a part of the greater Commonpoint community persuaded her to stay in this field over becoming a DOE teacher.

“Commonpoint is all about building community and lasting relationships, and I’m excited to do that in the Bronx with young people and families. It means a lot to me to still have connections with families from over a decade ago. Some of the kids that I had are in college now and they still keep in touch. It’s an amazing thing that I see in a lot of our programs and it’s a special opportunity to foster that kind of community-building in a new borough.”

Outside of work, Karen has an impressive 800+ day streak on Duolingo, where she is learning BOTH Greek and Spanish, and she also loves football, photography, traveling, and cooking.