Carissa holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado, where she initially ventured into Chemistry before making a significant shift to graduate with a degree in Graphic Design and a minor in Music and Art History. Following this, she pursued her passion for education and obtained a master’s degree in education from the same university in 2014. With a decade of teaching experience, Carissa’s journey began in 1st grade, where she spent 4 years before transitioning to Middle School for the past 6 years. She has found immense joy in both settings, thoroughly enjoying every minute of teaching. Over the past 8 years, Carissa has been an active tutor, covering elementary reading and math, as well as middle school math, ELA, and History.

Her teaching repertoire includes various math programs such as Everyday Math, Singapore Math, Saxson Math, and Big Ideas Math. In literacy, Carissa has utilized Houghton Mifflin Harcourt reading and phonics curriculum, Secret Stories, Letters, Wilson, Words Their Way Spelling, and Fry Sight Words. She has also provided tutoring on literary works like “The Outsiders,” “Maus,” and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” delving into figurative language and poetry. Carissa is dedicated to providing one-on-one support, helping students realize their unique potential by tailoring her teaching to their individual learning styles. When Carissa’s not teaching, she enjoys hiking, skiing, paddleboarding, her dogs, books, and music (clarinet, guitar).