Karen is from Fremont, California. Her parents moved to the United States from Taiwan. She has a younger brother, Jeffrey, is also a figure skater. She was homeschooled via Connections Academy in high school. Chen has expressed interest in majoring in the medical field. She was admitted to Cornell University’s School of Human Ecology Class of 2023 and will major in Human Biology, Health and Society on a pre-med track.
Chen’s mentor is 1992 Olympic Champion Kristi Yamaguchi, who shares a hometown with her. Chen published a memoir titled Finding the Edge: My Life on the Ice in November 2017. On 2019 International Women’s Day, she was chosen to be one of eight POWERGIRLs that serve as brand ambassadors for social fitness blogger Cassey Ho’s activewear company, POPFLEX Active. For more information, please visit her website at https://karenchen.figureskatersonline.com.