Clarissa is a recent graduate from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Studies. Previously, she has worked primarily in research, acting as a curation specialist for hymenoptera and diptera species. Additionally, Clarissa has served many other roles in the research lab mainly in genus identification and insect sorting. In this work, she earned a research award titled the Worster Research Fellowship allowing her to solely dedicate herself to research over a three month period. At the end of this fellowship, she presented at the Worster Award Research Symposium. 

Clarissa has a passion for the environment and previously worked as a training lead for a political organization where she designed and presented several trainings in favor of protecting the environment.