Karla Tlatelpa Prodigue

Karla Tlatelpa Prodigue was born in Mexico City and raised in Fremont, CA. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 2016 where she majored in Molecular and Cell Biology and minored in Global Poverty and Practice. During her time there, she taught a Medical Spanish course and volunteered as an interpreter, which showed her the importance of having medical professionals who share the community's language and culture. After graduating she worked as Clinic Manager at Street Level Health Project, a free clinic in Oakland that serves recently-arrived immigrants comprised largely of undocumented folks and asylum seekers from Mexico and Guatemala. This work taught her the power of community in health care and how to advocate for people who are marginalized and often excluded from essential social services. Witnessing injustices in the health care system cemented her desire to pursue medicine to use her social power to advocate for positive social change that may someday benefit her future patients and people in her community. In her spare time, Karla enjoys hiking with her dog and partner, dancing salsa and cumbia, and trying new restaurants.

Undergrad Institution: UC Berkeley

Hometown: Fremont, CA