Kara will be graduating this December from UH Mānoa with a degree in Molecular Cell Biology. Though she takes classes over at the Mānoa campus, you’ll find Kara working under KCC Microbiology Professor John Berestecky in a lab on KCC’s campus most days of the week. Kara hopes to continue her studies in either graduate-level biology research or by attending medical school.

Kara grew up in southern California and decided to attend UH Mānoa in part due to the stories she heard from her father about the islands. He was stationed on Oʻahu in the Navy some years back. Over spring break, Kara traveled to Maui and enjoyed her trip immensely — especially the road to Hāna and waterfalls along the way — in spite of receiving a sunburn for the first time.