I’m passionate about science and mentorship

Hi, I’m Karely

As a first-generation Latina y hija de inmigrantes, I aim to break down barriers for first-generation and underrepresented students.

This website offers educational resources and shares my academic, professional and personal experiences to help students navigate higher education with confidence. My goal is to support students through their educational journeys while also promoting mental health and well-being.

My CV

Get to know me

My family is from Sinaloa, Mexico.

I love staying active and have done track and field, cross country and tennis. I’ve also tried yoga and weight training. One of my biggest accomplishments is running a half marathon during my master’s program!

I was born in California and grew up in the East Bay.

I’m the oldest daughter and have two younger sisters.

My favorite pan dulce is empanadas dulces rellenas y cortadillos.

I earned my bachelors degree from UCSC, took a two- year gap, and then moved to southern California for my masters program.

I love cafecito, but I usually drink it decaf.

Come see what I’m up to

Follow along for helpful tips, navigating academia, and a little bit of everyday life.

life lately september 2026
I am excited to share a recent mentorship experience! I had the opportunity to mentor a student by providing guidance on their statement of purpose (SOP) for PhD applications. Bianca expressed “I sought mentorship with Karely because I needed
There are high and low days when it comes to my productivity, and my process isn’t perfect. Recently, I tried working from a new location and was excited about the day. I thought, “This will be great. I’ll go somewhere new, get all
life lately august 2026
I recently completed the GRAD EDGE summer program at @ucsb_graduate_division ! For the past 8 weeks I had the opportunity to participate in a summer bridge program designed to support incoming doctoral students from CSU campuses.  A highlight
I currently have 20+ tasks on my to do list and the list somehow gets longer each week instead of shorter… Does this happen to you to? Do you ever feel like there just isn’t enough time to get everything done as a student? As an incom
New beginnings are hard. Adjusting to a new academic location, people, work environment, a new chapter of my life. I’ve moved frequently to pursue my educational goals and thought this time around for my PhD it would be a little easier to a
I am passionate about mentoring students! I recently had the opportunity to mentor a new student who joined the research lab I was part of during my masters program. Miranda shared “I was hoping for advice about applying to Clinical Psycholog
Hi I’m Karely! I’m reintroducing myself :) I’m an incoming Clinical Psychology PhD student. In response to the lack of representation and the limited access to guidance and resources in higher academia- I created exitoconkarely, &