Karelia La Marca was born in Venezuela, where she received a bachelor’s degree in geological engineering from Universidad de Los Andes. Karelia holds an M.S. in Geophysics (2020) from the University of Oklahoma under the advisory of Dr. Roger Slatt and Dr. Heather Bedle. Currently, she is a Ph.D. student in Geophysics and a research assistant for SDA and AASPI consortiums at the University of Oklahoma. Her research interests include reservoir characterization, seismic interpretation, and seismic attributes with machine learning techniques for energy applications, including geothermal reservoirs. Karelia has experience as a geoscientist working for Schlumberger, Murphy oil, Tapstone energy, and Geophysical insights. She is currently volunteering as president of the OU-SEG student and has served as a reviewer of multiple journals, including SEG ones, since 2020. She is an active member of numerous professional associations, including the AAPG and SEG, GSA, AGU, and the International Geothermal Association (IGA). Karelia belongs to the University of Oklahoma Sooners Geothermal team, who recently received first place at the Geothermal collegiate competition 2022. Her team designed a system for repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells in Shawnee, Oklahoma, to provide clean, renewable geothermal energy for local buildings, including a tribe nation jurisdiction. In addition to this, Karelia has received many professional recognitions, such as the Oklahoma Geological Foundation 2022 fellowship and best research presentation in local and out-of-state conferences and poster sessions.