When it comes to the idea of following a distinct path, Karina Arroyo might have been a little too prepared. As a recent Seattle University graduate, Burien local, and queer woman of color, Arroyo is a glowing combination of personal experiences that has culminated to the person I had the opportunity to interview on this chilly February evening. Someone who never stops thinking, feeling, and experiencing, Arroyo has shaped their experiences into a personally-motivated desire to advocate for underrepresented communities in South King County, and more recently expanding that advocacy to the Greater Seattle area. So, when I ask them, “How are you?” upon their arrival at Kaladi Brothers Coffee in Capitol Hill, I expect their answer: “Um…I’m good! I’m tired.” I would be too.
As a key component of the enrollment process for their current employer Big Brothers Big Sisters, Arroyo is responsible for interviewing families or potential mentors for the program. The organization is designed to pair adult mentors (“bigs”) with respective children (“littles”) to promote academic and personal growth while setting the littles up for continued success later in life. Arroyo’s role is crucial to the process, as they are required to offer recommendations for best matches for littles and their respective bigs. “I’m really proud of what I’m doing right now,” they say, “being entrusted to know whether people will be a good match for each other…I always thought I had good people skills.” They smile. “And here I am.”
Here they are indeed, though the path to this moment was not always the one Arroyo expected to take. Growing up in Burien, Arroyo was first exposed to people who share pieces of their culture due to being shuffled around schools, as they were in an advanced placement program. The exposure contributed to Arroyo’s growth and connection to their community. They say, “I always tell people that I never really had to come out [as bisexual], I didn’t feel the need to. Coming to Seattle U and seeing that was not the same for some friends…I had never realized where I was from was somewhat progressive in that sense.” And despite this, Arroyo became acutely aware of the ways in which their community was being underserved. Even after receiving pleas from parents and students about things like on-campus safety, school administration would still struggle to create real change. “It makes you more curious to fight that and be heard. I think that’s where my interest in being a sort of change comes from.”
The inspiration Arroyo draws upon comes from community, family, friends, and… World War Z. At least, to the extent that the 2013 film first exposed them to international diplomacy and the interworking of the United Nations. After flirting with the idea of being a lawyer, then a psychologist, Arroyo was captured by the way Brad Pitt’s character in the film was able to utilize conflict resolution skills on an international scale. So, when the weekly question arrived from their parents, “O.K. Karina, what do you want to do?”, Arroyo could finally offer a preliminary answer: they wanted to study different cultures. On a quest to discover why things are the way that they are, Arroyo delved headfirst into international studies – eventually getting a degree in the field – and history. What fully shaped Arroyo’s next steps professionally was a community celebration called WeDay, a huge volunteer event for Save the Children. After receiving an invitation from a French teacher at their high school, who Arroyo describes as “so badass,” Arroyo learned that to best serve the communities they want to serve, they would need to go to them directly. “Freshman year of high school set me up for the rest of the mood for high school because I got involved in leadership and learned how to be a part of a team and be a part of a community.”
Fast forward to here and now; as much as we might not wish to admit, the culture in which we live is inundated with news focused on negativity and divisions across many identity lines. How does Arroyo stay motivated to continue the work, even on the harder days? “I take breaks—that sounds so dumb, I don’t really take breaks. I try to take breaks.” Arroyo has learned to find strength in being sensitive to everything they read online, as being sensitive and hyperaware is something they do not see as optional for them. “And,” they continue, “in general, we are doing better. There are less people starving, or in poverty, and health is up. At the end of the day, I think about how I can actually work to impact something that’s going on in the world in a positive way.”
Moving forward, Arroyo wants to continue to serve communities they have experience with: Latinx youth in South King County. When discussing why they took the job they have at Big Brothers Big Sisters, Arroyo says, “I would have wanted to know about this sort of organization sooner when I was in high school, when I was working with youth… they could really benefit from having an extra adult in their life or a friend to hang out with. That’s what really sold me, getting to work in the community I grew up in.”
Arroyo is most inspired by the waves of young people who will become eligible to vote in the coming years, as they remind us that 23 Republicans are up for reelection this year, and that the upcoming presidential election has a massive say in determining the direction the United States goes from here. In this complicated and confusing time, I ask Arroyo for advice for those reading: “If you want to get involved in social change… invest in somebody, become a mentor, support someone. And take breaks, if we are to provide knowledge to those coming after us. Go outside. And add your pronouns to your signature.” Because, as Arroyo says and we learn time and time again as we check Twitter, open a news app, or even just look outside: “Everything that happens affects somebody. And that’s enough reason to care.”
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