Katrina was born and raised adjacent to the Puget Sound. She cultivated a passion for the life sciences through years of tide pooling and admiring sea creatures at dim sum restaurants. A susceptibility to getting seasick rerouted Katrina to the lab bench, where she studied neuronal circuitry in the lab of Jacqueline Rose at Western Washington University. She also spent a summer studying antifungal immunity in the lab of Tobias Hohl at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, which inspired her to pursue a PhD in Immunology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Katrina joined the lab of John Schoggins to study how individual interferon-stimulated genes contribute to cell-intrinsic antiviral defenses against respiratory viruses, including influenza and coronaviruses. Her interest in lung mucosal immunity and a desire to scratch the fungal itch led Katrina back to the Hohl lab for postdoctoral training. When not in lab, Katrina enjoys exploring the city, watching live music, and looking for the best place to grab a cheap bowl of spicy noodles.