Kalaya grew up in a small rural town in the interior of BC. Growing up on a small hobby farm, she spent countless hours with the animals her parents raised. Her original goal was to become a veterinarian but after volunteering in a small general practice in 2004, she fell in love with the role of the Registered Veterinary Technologist.  

Kalaya graduated from NAIT – Fairview campus in 2008. She spent 2 years in a general practice in the Edmonton area before relocating to Kelowna BC, to work in a hybrid general practice/specialty hospital. She started working with Dr. Bhandal in 2012 where she developed a special interest in surgery. Kalaya has worked in both specialty surgery and ophthalmology. Kalaya has a passion for anesthesia, pain management, cannabinoid and exotic animal medicine.  She is actively pursuing her Veterinary Technician Specialty in Anesthesia and Analgesia.  In 2020 she obtained her certification as a Veterinary Cannabis Counselor.  

Kalaya serves as a board member for multiple veterinary boards and a wildlife board.   

Outside of work Kalaya has a love for hiking, paddle boarding, travelling, reading and anything to do with plants.  She also plans on learning American Sign Language.