Karla Aguilar Marquez (she/ella)

Karla is a PhD Candidate and graduate researcher in the Higher Education & Organizational Change program at the UCLA School of Education & Information Studies. Her research and practice centers students of color impacted by campus sexual violence including their healing and persistence in higher education. As a practitioner, Karla has developed and implemented primary prevention strategies and survivor support efforts across several institutions, organizations, and communities. She has held various leadership positions in student affairs focused on creating equitable learning spaces for students, staff and faculty. As an Indigenous (Chatino/Zapotec) and Central American scholar, intergenerational storytelling and practices grounded in healing-centered and trauma-informed frameworks are critical components of her activism, mentorship, and community building work.