Carissa was born in the quaint city of Port Antonio, on the island of Jamaica.
After nine years on the island, she embarked on a journey that took her from Jamaica to London, England, and from there to Oakland, California by way of Miami Florida.
The choice to pursue the arts as an outlet did not come easy. At the age of eight she became a member of the drama club, but like so many, her passion was smothered for years. During her high school years she studied West African
Dance which momentarily satisfied
her hunger, but after gradutating, she found herself doing the standard; going to
college to study business. That only lasted for two years and after
numerous agitated nights, questions, some friendly advice, and encouragement, she began studying at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. She felt it was at that time
that she got re-aqcuainted with herself.
While attending ACT, she started doing extra work on feature films, wanting more experience, she later transitioned to independents. She continued on that path for a short while before making another transition, this time to writer, producer, and director. She is currently completing her first project, Two Weeks from Monday.