Growing up in Los Angeles, Karina's interest in marine conservation bloomed during her undergraduate at UC San Diego/Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where she fell in love with the world of marine algae. Karina graduated in 2018 with a major in marine biology and a minor in ecology while conducting independent research, investigating the impacts of ENSO events on both Halimeda spp. populations and the entire macroalgal community at the Palmyra Atoll, Northern Line Islands. Upon joining the Kelp Forest Ecology lab at SDSU, her interests in algal-algal interactions expanded. For her M.S., she is investigating the climate change impacts on Catalina rhodolith beds (Lithothamnion australe) and potential associated macroalgal amelioration of these negative effects. When she's not reading about algae, Karina likes to create artful algae pressings, play the piano, connect with her Armenian heritage, and hunt for local bryophytes.