She was born in Rotorua in raised in Palmerston North. Karlo has worked in Nuku’alofa and went to school at Tonga High School, as well as in New Zealand. She is a PhD student at Massey University where her thesis examines the health and wellbeing of the Pacific generation born and/or raised in Aotearoa. She has written a collection of poetry titled “Dream Fish Floating”, which recently won the Jessie MacKay Award for Best First Book of Poetry in the Montana Book Awards. She is juggling writing a new book with raising two boys, completing her PhD, participating actively in the community and doing contract work in the area of Pacific research and evaluation. She is passionately committed to improving the position of Tongans and Pacific peoples living in New Zealand.