As the Administrative Assistant for the Simpson Center, Kalia supports the center’s operational integrity by managing the general occupation and maintenance of offices and event spaces; assisting the Administrator with fiscal processing; and facilitating internal and external communications.

Kalia earned her BA in Women’s & Gender Studies with a minor in Psychology from Loyola Marymount University in 2017. During her time as an undergraduate, Kalia spent a semester abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France. She lived with a host family near the center of town and studied at the Institute for American Universities in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. As a McNair Scholar, Kalia’s research examined the sexualization and adultification of Black children. Her senior thesis was an exploration of colorism, beauty standards, and “girl power” feminism in pop culture. Kalia is interested in food justice, the decriminalization of sex work, and urban geography.

Before her arrival at the Simpson Center, Kalia worked as an Administrative Assistant in the Environmental Services department at UW Medicine. In her free time, Kalia can be found mountain biking, playing pickleball or tending to her growing collection of houseplants.