From a very early age, Harris knew she was going to be a performer.  Born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, she grew up watching her father sing everything from love songs to blues and jazz on stage, fronting for an eclectic mix of bands every weekend.  She also loved hearing her Grammy and aunties singing in the local church choir each Sunday.  Awed by their talent, it was only natural that she began singing in middle school chorus before moving on to high school choir.

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But it was during her freshman year of high school that Karissa saw her first musical production: Godspell.  She was stunned that her peers were not only singing, but also dancing AND acting.  She knew that his was her heart’s desire:  to be on stage.  The very next year she saw her first Broadway show, The Lion King, and her mind was made up.  She would make acting her career.  Months later, she landed her first principal role as Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar at Allentown’s highly regarded Civic Theatre. 

Karissa spent three semesters as a Theatre Performance major at Wagner College on Staten Island, New York, before transferring to Muhlenberg College, where she spent a semester abroad studying physical theatre and commedia at the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy, before earning her BA in Theatre.

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Harris is now a NYC-based actress residing in Brooklyn, NY, with her little French bulldog, Felony. She enjoys biking, traveling, reading, playing the ukulele,and hiking! A creatrix, artivist,and spritual astrologer; Karissa has also created a new methodology called Rev5ive:5 steps to heal during the revolution. She currently teaches movement Medicine classes through the Cosmic fit Club and has been deemed "Spiritual Fitness Leader at the CosmixRX. (For more info on her cosmic community and classes, check @thecosmicrx on IG and thecosmicrx.com)