Carrie earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish Teaching with a minor in French Teaching, followed by a master’s degree in Spanish Pedagogy. She discovered a passion for research during this time, working as a research assistant, completing an undergraduate thesis on language use in study abroad, and a master’s thesis aimed at better understanding multilingualism as a protective factor in the development of dementia. Carrie taught middle- and high-school students for several years in Utah public schools as well as one of its a private teen treatment programs. Still drawn to research, she then became a clinical research coordinator for the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Utah, and completed a graduate certificate in Biomedical Informatics before joining PARCKA in 2025.