Marissa D'Orazio majored in English Language and Literature at the University of Virginia. She spent her first year out of college teaching 6th grade English and Public Speaking at The Severn School in Severna Park, MD. She is now teaching 7th grade English at Sidney Lanier Middle School in Fairfax County.

In addition to teaching, she is very involved in after-school activities, and founded a Creative Writing club that meets weekly. She is currently finishing her Master's degree in Social Foundations of Education. This will be her third summer with Fairfax Collegiate.