Kayla graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from The University of Nebraska Lincoln in 2010 and proceeded directly into perfusion school in Omaha, Nebraska for her Master’s Degree. During perfusion school she rotated at four cardiac centers across the country to learn a variety of perfusion techniques. She also completed her Master Thesis researching the effects of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy on patient cerebral saturation during cytoreduction surgery.