Catherine Baranek moved to Reno in 2003 to attend UNR and has been a Reno resident ever since. Unsure of what career she would like to pursue, Catherine graduated from UNR in 2007 with a degree in General Studies. She later returned to school, this time attending Sierra Nevada College and graduated with a Masters in Special Education. She began teaching middle school in 2016 and currently teaches 7/8 Special Education.

Catherine is married and has two children, a middle school and kindergarten student. On school breaks, she loves to go on trips with her family. She also loves to read, is a music lover(all genres) and loves going to concerts whenever she can.