R.K. Barringhaus is originally from Washington, Missouri, a small town about an hour west of St. Louis. She started doing theatre in eighth grade when she was cast as a band boy in The Music Man Jr. She went on to participate in every production during her four years of high school and also a couple at the local community college. It wasn't until her junior year of high school that she realized her calling in life was not to be an entomologist as she had previously thought. She decided that teaching theatre in some capacity was where her heart was and after high school she began to pursue that dream. Majoring in theatre technology and design at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri she realized that this would not be the end of the educational road for her. She applied and got accepted into several universities finally deciding to attend the University of Central Florida for her MA in Theatre Studies. Since graduation she has been residing back in her home town, where she is excited about future possibilities.