To a large degree, Carena’s interests include outdoor related activities such as snowboarding, hiking/camping, and various sports such as rugby and running. Traveling has also played an important role in Miss van Riper’s life. Throughout her time at ASU she studied tourism for one semester in Holland, and spent one year in Spain at a Barcelona University learning Spanish. She has traveled throughout North America, Western and Eastern Europe, as well as South Africa.
Music is also an integral part of Carena's life. In her first year at Arizona State she majored in music composition, having played the flute and piano for 12 years. She currently spins sexy, progressive sometimes chunky house music.
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Walden Pond; Ayn Rand: When Atlas Shrugged; Miguel de Cervantes: Don Quixote; Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Memorias de mis Putas Tristes; Daniel Quinn: Ishmael; Plato: Lysis; John Krakaur: Into the Wild; Ramon Sampedro: Cuando yo caiga