From Corporate Climber to Social Warrior

Karla Arroyo has led many lives. After working for Mexico’s Department of Treasury and climbing the UPS corporate ladder, the Mexico City native earned a master’s degree in social work from the U and counseled at the Rape Recovery Center. Soon, she became the executive director of South Valley Services, a domestic violence shelter, using her business and social-work skills to almost double the program. Arroyo is now finishing her Ph.D. so she can teach a new generation of social workers. She recently launched her own mental health practice, Multicultural Counseling Center, where she hopes to help the Latino community and trauma survivors. “I believe that domestic violence can be preventable,” Arroyo said. “If we were to have more intervention, we would see a better result.”