Marisa is currently an Events Coordinator for a high-end design company, Sc3 Group, based out of Manhattan. She has also worked as an Events Coordinator for over two years with the New York City Ballet at the David H. Koch Theatre in Lincoln Center. Marisa has studied macrobiotics with Virginia Harper during a three-month stay at the Ki of Life Learning Center in Franklin, TN during the summer of 2008. Through her experience with the Ki of Life, she has also been the Director of the Annual Winter Gala and raised over $30,000 for this non-profit organization. Marisa has begun to offer introductory cooking classes focusing on improving basic diet through the teaching of macrobiotics. In May 2009, she also became a certified personal trainer and plans to incorporate this unique diet into her fitness training.
Marisa is a cum laude graduate of Wagner College were she earned a B.S. in Arts Administration with a concentration in theatre. Aside from academic achievements, Marisa believes her greatest accomplishment is being able to cure herself of two incurable diseases: Ulcerative Colitis and Pyoderma Gangrenosum. Ulcerative Colitis is a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) affecting the large intestines. Pyoderma Gangrenosum is a serious condition causing painful ulceration of the skin and is visible in only 2% of all cases of IBD in the U.S. In 2004, after battling these diseases for two years, Marisa began to look for alternative treatments. She was recommended Viginia Harper's "Controlling Crohn’s Disease: The Natural Way," a story of a woman’s healing journey through the teachings of macrobiotics. Inspired, Marisa set out to do the same. It’s been five years and she is currently living a happy, symptom-free life.
Through her own experiences, she has been driven to help others to embrace their health and ability to heal. Marisa has held two local titles in the Miss America Organization: Miss Spirit of New York 2006 and Miss Jubilee 2007. She has also placed in the Top Ten for two years in the Miss New York State Pageant while advocating her platform: Understanding Crohn’s Disease Through Lifestyle and Diet.
