Dubbed the new up-and-coming Ellen DeGeneres of comedy, WS alumnus Lianna Carrera has captured her viewers with the authenticity in her jokes and her charisma that will light up a room.

Born the daughter of a Southern Baptist Minister and a deaf mother, Carrera had the spiritual challenge already at her plate. “Coming out” to her family has allowed her to progress as a young adult.

“My father has always emphasized the importance of living your faith rather than talking about it,” said Carrera.

Meanwhile, her father encouraged her to worship in the affirming congregations of LGBT, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender, to reveal the acceptance in the church community.

“He wanted to show me I wasn’t expelled from the church because I’d chosen to be honest,” said Carrera.

Coincidently, honesty is what has enabled Carrera to make such a dynamic career out of staying true to herself.

In society today, onlookers bestow as many judgments as they can to break one’s morals. Yet Carrera, who graduated from WS in 2003, does not see this as an obstacle she cannot surpass.

“Don’t make apologies for who you are,” said Carrera. “And don’t let anyone make you feel like you’re different or weird just because you see the world in your own unique way.”

Coming from the senior “Class Clown” herself, this comedian walked the halls of WS as an SGA officer, which gave her the lead role in the Homecoming Assembly and at pep rallies. Carrera also planned the September 11 Memorial service in Spartan Stadium.

To add on to her extracurricular activities, Carrera played basketball was coached by Coach Bill Gibson and lacrosse for Coach Brian Puhlick.

“She was very bubbly and outgoing,” said Puhlick. “She was a captain her senior year and was a great athlete.”

Her outgoing attitude added to her leadership qualities and made her very well liked.

“All of those experiences laid the groundwork for what I’m doing now; writing stand-up comedy, TV scripts, and the like,” said Carrera.

While traveling the world to make a name for herself, Carrera has embraced her uniqueness as a gift that has translated to that of DeGeneres. Even as some make this big comparison, she has remained modest about her art.

“I’ve been compared to Ellen here and there,” said Carrera. “Ellen is a great example of a comic who never apologizes for who she is. She walks into a room and brings with her a playfulness and zest for life that infects others with joy.”

Fortune and fame have not got the best of Carrera.

“Folks can sense if you are putting something on, so I strive, whether on stage or otherwise, to be myself,” she said. “If I can make them laugh, even better.”