Carmen was born in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico and was raised in Salinas, California and Casa Grande, Arizona. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology and a minor in History. Before joining Team Kelly, she worked at an Alzheimer’s research lab studying the relationship between Alzheimer’s, vascular and mixed dementia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Carmen worked at her county’s health department as a COVID-19 contact tracer, helping with vaccine distribution. Carmen joined Senator Kelly’s team in June 2021 as a staff assistant, a year later she became an LC. She is now a Legislative Aide working on environment, infrastructure, transportation, agriculture, and tribal affairs. She enjoys cooking, reading, traveling, and starting art projects she never finishes.
