By Kam Harling ‘26
Karen Chika, growing up in a small town, always saw herself as the center of attention and believed she was always right, constantly arguing with people and never shutting up about why she was correct. That didn’t change a bit as she continued through high school. But once she entered college, she connected with her professors and had amazing colleagues by her side, who helped change how she saw things. Now, she wants to influence that change on others.
Ever since she grew out of the teenage phase, she has upheld her lessons throughout her life. She now enjoys planting that seed into others by coaching, assisting, and celebrating these future leaders.
Karen Chika, or as some people call her, Care Bear, grew up in Lancaster, a small town in Pennsylvania. “That place gives me a sense of familiarity,” Chika said. “I know every single road around here. I come back and know, oh, this is home.”
This is the place where it all started.
Going to college in an urban area wasn’t the easiest adjustment.. “Coming from a small town, everyone knows everyone. There’s that sense of belonging that you don’t usually have in a big city,” Chika said. “Going from everyone knowing you to a place where nobody knows you. It’s difficult going to a place where you’re not the center of attention when you were in your area.”
Chika further explained, “I always thought I was bigger than the program, always thought that school didn’t matter. I thought I was smarter than everyone in my classes. I didn’t think school mattered in high school as well, so assignments were never submitted on time, even though I understood the lesson.” She would always ask herself what’s significant about a grade.
She never had the tools to perform well in school, so she didn’t know how things worked or how to perform well in college. She wanted to take a leap to the next step and transform, but she required assistance; she needed someone to show her that these things do matter.
That became her professors at Palm Beach Atlantic. Before that, she never had a role model for her to take school seriously, other than her mother, who was in a different state, so Professor Garen was the new leader in Karen’s life.
“My professors knew that I wasn’t stupid, even though my grades reflected otherwise,” Chika said. “They really made a point to be involved in my life. I had a professor who would call me every single morning at 7 am before her class started at 8 am, just to make sure I was coming to class, to make sure that I knew what I was doing when I got there. She also introduced me to the Office of Disability Resources. I understood that I also had pretty bad ADHD in a classroom, so they encouraged me to do better.”
These professors impacted her life because they showed her that people do care about her life and the future it holds. She emphasizes that, “There’s always gonna be that one person that wants to see you succeed, and it’s essential to find that anchor to keep you grounded in tough situations.”
After that she knows what to do – bring the help that she received to students in high school who are preparing for college and joining Attollo Prep. She was in the program when she was also in high school, which helped her move a bit better into college. She wanted to give back.
In addition to giving back, she chose her specific role at Attollo because she knew it would be a great stepping stone to learn more tools she couldn’t learn elsewhere. She is very passionate about media and social life; this was the type of job she thought she would pick. However, she was shocked when she reflected upon the fact that this was the route that put her where she is now.
Attollo’s environment helped her understand her life and her role in others. Also, understanding that things aren’t just given to you but earned, but things can get easier as you travel the path you were meant to take. She was able to take the job there when it was offered by her colleagues, whom she had once met while participating in a program in high school. They were encouraging to her and really wanted her to do well. She took the job knowing that her employer knew the place she was in life and assisted her through her journey, starting at Attollo Prep.
“I would love to stay here and stay with all of my new recruits I just met and continue to be in their journey, but I have a calling,” said Chika. “That calling is not in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I gotta go my own way.” As she calls an end to her duty in her hometown, she hopes to increase her impact and support to many other parts of the nation.
As she potentially wraps up her career in Atollo Prep to attend a higher level of impact, she developed a life lesson from this place: “I’m actually not always right,” Chika reflected. “I’m wrong about the way that I read situations.”
She definitely knew that, but never lived up to what she knew, and was very stubborn. She wasn’t as open-minded as she would have liked to be. She never thought for a second that maybe she was in the wrong or that this person was actually right.
After all, she’s done all of this for her mother, who has been there through thick and thin with her through struggles and heartbreak. She pulls the mom card as her role model.
“To be where I am today, she has sacrificed a lot for me,” Chika said. “When I’m older and when I become a mother, I want to embody her.”
Karen Chika today is a completely different person from what she was in her younger days. As she continues her way, she hopes to continue connecting with more peers and colleagues. Now she continues the transformation and starts a new phase.