During their time at UCLA, Karla was awarded the full-ride Banky-Larocque Directing fellowship sponsored by film director Donna Deitch. She was also the recipient of the Carl David Memorial Fellowship in Film, the Lynn Weston Fellowship in Film and the Four Sisters Scholarship in Screenwriting, Directing & Animation. Additionally, she was a Hispanic Scholarship Foundation Scholar from 2017-2018. 

Born in Baja California, Mexico, Karla moved to the United States at age eleven to have a chance at obtaining higher education. From an early age, her work as a studio artist reflected her commitment to tell stories that promote social change. As an undocumented, queer Latina she never saw herself represented in the media – this lack of representation and diversity pushed Karla in the direction of film. 

Karla’s film, Americano, premiered at Outfest LA in 2019, and she is set to release her most recent short film, Parhelio, early 2024.  She  is currently working on her first feature titled, El Matiz del Torogoz (The Torogoz’ Tail), a tale that follows a similar structure as Parhelio.