Hi, I'm Karissa! I'm getting a BS in engineering and a law degree through an accelerated 6-year program at Texas A&M University. Most people describe me as energetic and outgoing. Even several years later, my most meaningful accomplishment remains being voted "Most Kind" by my high school graduating class. I am a people person at heart!Through the new ENLAW partnership between Texas A&M's Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering and the Texas A&M University School of Law, I will graduate with a BS and a Juris Doctor degree in 2025. (More information here: https://engineering.tamu.edu/mtde/academics/degrees/engineering-law/index.html) My engineering coursework focuses on biomedical and electrical engineering, and I hope to practice patent law after graduation.At Texas A&M, I am a Brown Foundation Scholar, a Presidential Endowed Scholar, and a student in the Engineering Honors Program. I am also a fightin' Texas Aggie waterskiier on the A&M Waterski Team!I spent over two years studying abroad in Tübingen, Germany. I have strong bilingual and cross-cultural communication skills, and I would love to work in an international environment. As a senior in high school, I received seven full-ride scholarships and over $1,000,000 in scholarship offers. I learned a lot throughout this process, and I knew there had to be a way to use this experience to help other students. While at Texas A&M-College Station, I learned of a nearby Title-1 school district that lacked the staff needed to provide every student with in-depth academic advising. During my three years of undergrad, I volunteered one day every week as a college and career advisor at Snook ISD. I coached three classes of Snook seniors through the college and trade school application process, filled out countless FAFSAs (a true labor of love), provided PSAT, SAT, and ACT tutoring, edited and revised applications, wrote recommendation letters, and taught basic budgeting skills. I worked with students experiencing teen parenthood, homelessness, poverty, undocumented immigration status, foster care, substance abuse, and the death of one or both parents. My proudest moments as "Ms. Smith" were hearing, "I got in!" or "I got the scholarship!"