Karlic was born in Wrocław, Poland in 1983 and immigrated to Detroit, Michigan in 1987. She holds an M.F.A.in Photography from the California Institute of the Arts, where she studied with Allan Sekula, Harry Gamboa Jr., Leigh Ledare, Ashley Hunt, David Bunn, Ellen Birrell, and Andrew Freeman. From 2013–2016 she assisted with the organization of her late mentor’s studio archive (Sekula) in preparation for a Getty Research Institute acquisition. Karlic holds a B.F.A. (2005) from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where she studied with Katherine Turczan, Vince Leo, David Goldes, and Alec Soth.