Kimberly was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She attended Portland State University and graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Psychology. During undergraduate school, Kimberly studied abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico, where she worked with a team, conducting research on health and migration. After returning to the United States and graduating with her BA, she moved to Los Angeles and worked for a homeless healthcare center on Skid Row. In 2014, Kimberly began the Master of Social Welfare program at UCLA. Her current field placement is at a dropout recovery high school in South Los Angeles, where she provides counseling for students facing issues, including poverty, depression, and trauma from parental deportation.

Kimberly is a first-year MSW student, and her concentrations are health and mental health. She is pursuing the GPA certificate in Health and Social Services. She also plans to apply for the IPP, in which she hopes to work with a nonprofit in Central America next summer.

Her post-graduate goals are to advocate with and on behalf of individuals and communities for immigration rights and equal access to resources. She plans to work in the United States, Mexico, and Central America with individuals and families that are experiencing poverty and homelessness.