Carissa began her Irish dance journey with Mulvihill-Lynch at the age of 9, and quickly became passionate about the challenges Irish dance brought. Mulvihill-Lynch is where she made life long friends and to this day, she still considers it her second home. In addition to sharing her love of Irish dance with the dancers at Mulvihill-Lynch, Carissa is a special education teacher at Dawnwood Middle School. She resides in Stony Brook with her husband, Dave, their daughter, son, and her two lovable pups, Elvis and Pricilla.