She received her B.S. in Biology and Elementary Education from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. She received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience in the lab of James W. Mandell, Ph.D. and did a postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Noelle D. Dwyer, Ph.D. at the University of Virginia. She joined the Ursinus College Biology Department and Neuroscience program in 2010.