Clarissa began as a Ph.D. student at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences (UAWCOS) in Fall 2020, coming from Montana State University, where she majored in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Optics and Photonics. Now, she works with Professor Meredith Kupinski in the Polarization Lab with a research emphasis on environmental remote sensing. Specifically, she is researching the benefits of multiangle polarimetry in the ultraviolet for wildfire smoke detection. As a proud Latina, Clarissa hopes to become a professor and continue to advocate for Latinx representation in STEM. She is proud to be a part of the legacy of women in optics. Clarissa plans to pay it forward as she establishes herself as a researcher and an optical engineer using polarization science and remote sensing for environmental and medical applications. Outside of school, she likes to crochet, cross-stitch, hike, and read. ¡Èchale ganas!