[2][3] She earned her BSc honors degree at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand in graduating with first class honours in 1967.

In 1978, she married her husband Manuel Arroyo and together with their son, moved to the University of Chile where she would work as an associate professor.

[2][3][4] Another achievement of hers was to obtain an agreement to protect up to 68,000 acres in perpetuity (25%) of the River Condor drainage basin in Chile[3][5] Kalin has received a large number of national and international honors.

In 1996 she received the Award of Merit Labarca "in recognition of his outstanding academic achievements in the field of their profession, in the domain of culture and service to country."

In 1999, along with Ramon Latorre, was chosen "Foreign Member of the US Academy of Science", constituting one of the first two scientists in the country who have received this high honor.