Karmen Chavez-Sam

Karmen Chavez-Sam

Community Outreach Coordinator

she/her

About

Karmen Chavez-Sam

Karmen is a second-generation Chinese American, born and raised in Southern California. She moved to Oregon in 2015 to study Environmental Science and Anthropology and to play soccer at Willamette University. During her undergraduate career, she was a collaborator in La Chíspa de Salem (The Salem Spark), an environmental justice coalition that sparks campus conversations about climate/energy justice and environmental racism. She was a student researcher in a project about Lyme Disease and healthcare inaccess. Karmen also led an alternative spring break trip about environmental and food justice to Seattle, WA with Willamette’s Community Service Learning program. In her last semester at Willamette, Karmen was a Legislative Intern at APANO, supporting Lobby Day preparations and member outreach and engagement efforts. From August 2019-20, she served in the AmeriCorps VISTA program as APANO’s Housing Resource Coordinator, with particular focus on expanding our Community Development goals in Washington County.

Karmen is excited to continue engaging her passion for justice, access, and community-centered change in her role as Community Outreach Coordinator.

In her free time, Karmen enjoys creating art, journaling, playing soccer, bouldering, traveling, learning how to garden, and laughing with friends and family.