Castillo manipulates materials to maximize their beauty by presenting them minimally altered, yet easily recognizable. Her work hints at ancestral and historical symbolism as an aesthetic statement, social commentary, homage to ancestors and conceptual storytelling.

Castillo received her MFA in Sculpture from Claremont Graduate University and her BFA from California State University, Fullerton. She is the recipient of the Visual Artist Network Artist Residency, City of Los Angeles Individual Artist Fellowship and the Visions for a new California Award from the Alliances of Artist Communities. She has exhibited at the Skirball Cultural Center, California African American Museum, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles World Airports and Parque de los Pobladores in San Jose, California.