Swift has been studying martial arts since an early age, prompted by her father's desire that his daughter be able to take care of herself. Swift Serenity's skills have only recently reached their peaks; she applies a mix of Taekwondo, Kenpo, and Jujitsu in her field work; a mix carefully chosen to meld with her dynamic, rapid, and fluid style of movement. She can run very quickly, and jump amazing distances, but neither talent rises quite to what some would call super-speed or super-jumping. Serenity has no superpowers at all, in truth, and can only fly using a ring given to her by her coach and mentor. Serenity is highly situationally aware, and most always has her body twisted or turned where the gun barrels aren't pointing, even while planting explosively powerful kicks and punches on her foes. Her chosen schools each have certain moves considered to be deadly, but Swift Serenity chooses not to use them; preferring to use just enough physical force for her foes to submit to arrest. She's a heroine, after all.

Karen teaches the Third Grade in King's Row's Industrial Blvd Elementary #208, and also substitutes for 9th and 11th Grade mathematics in King's Row District High. The school administrators have no idea what she does in her off time, and Karen's been worried she might get fired if they find out. She has a small efficiency apartment in Galaxy City, from where she commutes by train to King's each day.

Karen works hard to keep her personal life separate from her secret life as a hero. She's not well paid, and lives frugally. She's careful of what she eats, though has a weakness for oriental food, and Hero-O's, of all things. Her clothing is usually last years' fashions; she shops at consignment stores to stay in her budget.

Karen is dedicated to teaching; she dotes on her students, and has been considering arranging for a hero to come in and talk to class. She just can't figure out how to invite one without revealing her own, very secret, identity.

Karen's also struggling to deal with having two personal lives. As Swift Serenity, she's been some fond, informal, dates with a team co-member Shining Falcon; but as Karen Morden, she can't be seeing a hero romantically -- this would bring danger to the children of the school she teaches as quickly as her own identity being revealed would.

Karen's dating with Shining Falcon has continued. The two have been sharing nights out to dinner, movies, and even a quiet evening at his apartment with take-out Italian, an old black and white movie, and a comfy sofa. She's hoping the two of them can double-date with some friends to go dancing at Pocket-D sometime soon. At one point, she revealed her actual first name to him, which turned out to be a violation of federal law. It's unclear whether her relationship with Shining Falcon can continue.

Karen has a new apartment in New Overbrook; under a special program to get incognito heroes to live in the area to help with crime control, she has her rent subsidized. When she compromised her own secret identity, the FBSA arranged for her to relocate overseas on a teaching mission.