Dr. Karena Setoudeh Maram on Purpose, Pageantry, and a Life Devoted to Lifting Others

In a world that often celebrates noise over substance, Dr. Karena Setoudeh-Maram represents a quieter, deeper kind of power. Crowned International Mrs. Texas 2025, she embodies grace rooted in service, intellect guided by compassion, and beauty defined by impact.

A wife, mother of six, and proud grandmother of two, Dr. Karena balances a life rich in family with a career devoted to healing. She is the CEO of M.C. Health Care, P.A., and holds a PhD in Psychology, working actively in a clinical setting where she performs pre-dementia and Alzheimer’s screenings. For her, purpose is not a concept. It is a daily practice.

Born for the Crown, Driven by Purpose

Dr. Karena says she always felt she was born to be a beauty queen, yet her journey in pageantry is anything but surface level. Pageants, in her view, are powerful platforms that instill confidence and courage. She believes there is no woman who walks off a stage after competing before strangers without discovering a stronger version of herself.

Her one word self description is compelling, and it resonates in how she carries both crown and calling. Pageantry gave her a microphone. Purpose gave her something meaningful to say.

A Platform with Urgency and Heart

At the center of her advocacy is Alzheimer’s Awareness. With no cure and diagnoses rising daily, Dr. Karena has committed herself to the fight against this devastating disease. Her professional expertise allows her to see the human reality behind the statistics, and her heart compels her to act.

She actively volunteers with Alzheimer’s Foundation walk and run events in her community, believing that awareness grows through presence, consistency, and action. Her philosophy on volunteerism is simple and effective. Recruit, recruit, and recruit some more.

Strength Forged Through Adversity

Dr. Karena’s compassion is shaped by lived experience. She spent a decade as a single mother of three, navigating what she describes as the darkest of times with one unwavering goal, to ensure her children would have a wonderful life. Today, they are all successful, and she looks back on that chapter as proof that perseverance can transform adversity into legacy.

Even now, she continues to challenge herself. One surprising fact many do not know is that she began law school at the age of 50, a testament to her belief that growth has no expiration date.

A Life Lived in Motion and Meaning

Outside of her professional and philanthropic commitments, Dr. Karena embraces life fully. She is passionate about traveling, chairing charities, downhill skiing, running marathons, and reading. She laughs easily, finding joy in life and all things in it, and if she ever indulged in a midnight snack, it would be milk chocolate with almonds.

Her heroes are deeply personal and symbolic. Her mother, her husband, and Wonder Woman. Strength, love, and resilience woven together.

Wisdom, Legacy, and the Road Ahead

Looking toward the future, Dr. Karena envisions herself as a best selling author with the ability to reach billions of people. Her message is anchored in patience, service, and optimism. The best advice she has ever received reminds her that the sun is always shining, even when it rains.

The quote she lives by captures her essence best. The best form of exercise you can do is bend over and help another up.

For Celebrity Los Angeles, Dr. Karena Setoudeh-Maram is more than a titleholder. She is a light, a healer, and a reminder that true influence is measured not by applause, but by the lives we touch along the way.